A  COUNKll  OF   LAKK  ST.  .JOHN 


The 

-.  UANANICHE 

and  its 

-..-^' AN  /\  I  >  \  A  ."'s         '-'l  V  iJRO  N  M  i:  S  T 

h 


irk.rfr.,t^^j 


[// 


:>  — 


^^.^<^ 


A  CUlt^KM  U>"   J  .\&li  al.  JuH^ 


I 


-^-^    The    ^ 

OUANANICHE 


an 


d  its 


E 


ANADIAN  l_-NVIRONMENT 


by 
E-TD'Chambers 


6 


Illustrated 


\ 


NEW  YORK 

HARPER   8    BROTHERS    PUBLISHERS 

189G 


Cojjyriglit,  ISOO,  l)y  IIari-kk  &  IJuotiikus. 
AH  rights  nsentd. 


Because  he  is  an  accomplished  uuglcr  uud  an  authority  of  repute  u|)ou  all 
that  pertuius  to  tlsh  aud  Qshiiig  ; 

Because  of  the  instruction  I  have  derived  from  his  writings  and  of  the  idcasure 
afforded  inc  by  his  private  correspondence  aud  his  entertaining  companionship  in 
tlie  Canadian  cnvironinent  of  tlie  Ouunauicho  ; 

Because  of  tlio  counsel,  aid,  and  encouragement  which  ho  has  so  generously 
cxtoniled  to  me  in  the  preparation  of  the  present  work  ; 

ABOVK  ALL 

Because  he  is  my  friend  and  the  friend  of  the  Ouananiche 

£■  JDcHicate  tijfs  Boott  to 
A.   NELSON    CHENEY,   Esq. 

State  Fish  Culturist  of  the  Slate  of  New  York,  President  of  the  Mohican  Rod  and 
Gun  Club  of  Glens  Falls,  Secretary  of  the  Eastern  New  York  Fish  and  Game  Protective 
Association,  Member  of  the  World's  Fishery  Congress,  Member  of  the  American 
Fisheries  Society,  Associate  Member  of  the  Now  York  State  As.sociation  for  the 
Protection  of  Fish  and  Game,  Honorary  Member  of  the  Fly  Fishers'  Club,  London, 
of  the  Triton  Fish  and  Game  Club  of  Quebec,  and  of  the  Rock  Run  Game  and  Fish 
Club,  Honorary  Member  of  the  Vermont  Fish  aud  Game  League,  Anglers'  Association 
of  the  St.  Lawrence  River,  and  Northern  Now  York  Association  for  the  Protection 
of  Fish  and  Game,  Associate  Meml»r  of  the  Adirondack  Guides  Association,  etc.,  etc. 

E.  T.  P.  CHAMBERS 


TABLE   OF    CONTENTS 


l'\nT  Paob 

A    Pre:,i>,  iNARY    Cast  ■     ue/ng    the    Author's 

Preface xi 

Introduction,  ny  Lieut.-Col.  Andrew  Haggard, 

D.S.O xvii 

I.  The  Ouananiche  and  its  Canadian  Environment  3 
Description,  Classification,  and  Habits  of  the 

Ouananiche 5 

U.  Philology  of  the  Ouananiche 39 

HI.  Angling  for  Ouananiche 61 

IV.  The  Geographical  Distribution  of  the  Ouana- 
niche      Ill 

V.  The  Canadian  Environment  of  the  Ouananiche  121 

VI.  In  Camp  and  Canoe 143 

VII.  "La  Grande  Decharge"  op  Lake  St.  John     .  157 

VIII.  The  Peribonca  and  Tschotagama 181 

IX.   Lake  Mistassini 205 

X.  Up  the  Ashuapmouchouan 213 

XI.  The  Mistassini  Kiver  and  its  Fifth  Falls  .     .221 

XII.  Other  Tours 229 

XIII.  Other  Fish  and  Game 243 

XIV.  The  Montagnais  Indians  and  their  Folk-Lore  301 
List  of  Authorities  Consulted  in  the  Prepa- 
ration op  the  Foregoing  Work      ....  331 

Index 341 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 


^   COUNEU  OF  LAKE  ST.  JOHN Fror,Hspiece 

A  POOL   OP  THE  METABETCnoUAN  niVEU  ....  Facing  page  xviii 

A   SCENE   IN  "NATUKE'S  GREAT  PISH  PKESEKVE  "    .             "  4 

THE   LITTLE  SAGUENAY  NEAR   ST.   RAYMOND  ...             "  30 

OUIATCnoUAN  PALLS ..  g^ 

PALLS  OP  THE  METAUETCHOUAN "  1(,q 

ON  THE  JACQUES-CARTIER ..  204 

IN   THE   LAUKENTIDES  NATIONAL  PARK       ....             "  yg 

CASCADE   OP  THE   PERIBONCA <<  jgg 

POLING   UP  THE  CHIGOBICHR   RIVER       .....  •«  214 
CATCH  OP   A  SMALL  NET  ABOVE  THE  GREAT  PALLS 

OP  THE  HAMILTON .,  „.  . 

JACQUES-CARTIER  RIVER  TROUT ..  gT 

ONE  OP  MR.  hart's  MONSTER  TROUT "  368 

INDIAN  GUIDE .,  g^^ 

BEARS'  SKULLS .,  „.. 

olo 


A    PRELIMINARY  CAST 
BEING  THE  AUTHOR'S   PREFACE 


A  PRELIMINARY  CAST 


This  book  of  the  Ouananiclie  is  the  result  of  repeated 
requests  to  the  author  for  a  treatise  upon  the  fish  and  its 
environment  on  tlie  part  of  many  anglers  and  others  who 
have  been  among  the  readers  of  his  contributions  to  the 
pages  of  periodical  literature.  What  has  been  hitherto 
pul)lished  respecting  the  ouananiclie  has  been  more  or 
less  fragmentary.  The  book  is  the  outcome  of  years  of 
observation  and  study  in  the  Canadian  home  of  the  ouana- 
niclie. It  contains  brief  records  of  the  experiences  and 
opinions  of  many  of  those  best  qualified  to  speak  of  the 
fisli.  and  especially  of  its  game  qualities  and  geographical 
distril)utioii.  It  also  embodies  references  to  all  that  is 
of  special  interest  in  the  literature  of  the  subject,  and 
the  author  is  unconscious  of  having  overlooked  any 
previous  Avriter  or  article  of  note  in  couuection  there- 
with. 

An  extended  investigation,  not  only  of  the  fish  and  its 
habits,  but  also  of  the  Indian  lore  respecting  them,  has 
enabled  the  author  both  to  discard  much  mere  myth  and 
to  abandon  some  few  theories  advanced  in  his  earlier 
writings,  at  a  time  when  present  opportunites  for  travel 
and  observation  in  tiie  land  of  the  ouananiclie  did  not 
exist.  Popular  fallacies  respecting  the  fish,  that  have 
existed   for  many  generations,  are  still  perpetuated  in 


XU  A   PRELIMINARY   CAST 

the  work  of  prominent  correspondents  of  tlio  current 
sporting  publications.  None  of  these  are  further  from 
the  facts  than  the  story  that  the  ouananiche  is  a  land- 
locked salmon,  prevented  from  returning  to  salt  water 
by  some  upheaval  of  nature  that  has  rais^id  an  impassable 
barrier  at  Chicontimi — a  fall  of  some  sixty  or  seventy  feet 
in  height  !  To  support  this  absurd  theory  it  became 
necessary  to  insist  upon  one  of  the  hugest  blunders  com- 
mitted in  the  whole  realm  of  natural  history  ;  namely, 
that  the  ouananiche — one  of  the  most  universally  dis- 
tributed of  the  finny  inhabitants  of  Labrador  waters — 
was  peculiar  to  Lake  St.  John  and  its  feeders  and  out- 
let ;  for  it  could  scarcely  be  pretended  that  the  fish  of  the 
rivers  that  flow  into  Ungava  Bay,  Hamilton  Inlet,  and 
the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence  were  prevented  by  a  fall  at 
Chicontimi,  on  the  Saguenay,  from  running  down  to  the 
sea.  Yet  ouananiche  are  found  in  all  the  waters  above 
mentioned,  as  shown  by  the  notes  kindly  furnished  the 
author  l^y  Mr.  A.  P.  Low,  B.Ap.Sc,  the  chief  of  the  Do- 
minion government  exploratory  survey  that  traversed  the 
interior  of  Labrador  in  1893-94  in  two  different  direc- 
tions. 

Not  only  the  surprising  details  of  the  extent  of  the 
geographical  distribution  of  the  ouananiche,  but  other 
results  and  discoveries  of  the  Low-Eaton  expedition,  will 
first  reach  the  public  through  the  medium  of  the  follow- 
ing pages.  So  will  much  of  the  information  contained  in 
the  chapter  upon  the  Montagnais  Indians  and  their  folk- 
lore. The  superstitions,  legends,  and  language  of  this 
interesting  people  have  engaged  the  attention  of  the  au- 
thor for  many  years  past,  and  he  is  fortunate  in  possess- 
ing the  friendship  and  having  had  the  assistance  of  some 
of  their  old  missionaries  and  of  officials  of  the  Hud- 
son Bay  Company  who  have  grown  gray  among  them,  as 


A    PKELIMINAKY   CAST  xui 

well  as  access  to  valuable  old  manuscripts  relating  to 
their  tribal  characteristics.  That  these  original  sources 
of  information  should  have  been  so  long  overlooked  is  no 
doubt  due  to  the  fact  that  Schoolcraft,  Morse,  and  other 
students  of  the  aboriginal  races  of  America  have  confined 
their  researches  almost  entirely  to  the  Indian  tribes  of 
the  United  States  and  to  those  of  southern  and  western 
Canada. 

The  chapter  on  the  philology  of  the  ouananiche  is  .i 
synopsis  of  a  paper  read  for  the  author  in  May,  1894,  by 
George  Stewart,  LL.D.,  D.O.L.,  F.E.S.C,  F.R.G.S., 
before  the  Koyal  Society  of  Canada,  wherein  a  plea  for 
the  recognition  of  priority  of  nomenclature  was  made — 
the  spelling  "ouananiche,"  for  which  the  present  writer 
has  vigorously  and  somewhat  successfully  contended  for 
more  than  a  decade  past,  having  been  the  earliest  writ- 
ten form  of  the  Indian  name.  It  has  been  employed 
in  French-Canadian  literature  from  'tj  very  beginning, 
despite  the  assertion  that  it  is  "o  new  word"  Ly  a  pub- 
licist who  claims  to  have  only  heard  it  for  the  first  time 
in  1880. 

From  his  original  intention  of  Avriting  a  simple  angling 
book,  I  he  author  has  permitted  himself  to  drift,  as  an- 
glers are  ac  istomed  to  do  upon  these  wide  Northern 
waters  in  their  light  birch-bark  canoes,  absorbed  in  their 
favorite  pastime  and  enraptured  with  the  marvellous  beau- 
ty and  attractiveness  of  the  ever-changing  surroundings, 
until  it  has  seemed  to  him  desirable  to  deal  with  the 
whole  Canadian  environment  of  the  ouananiche  as  well 
as  with  the  fish  itself,  well  aware  that  portions  of  such 
environment  are  as  little  known,  even  to  Canadians,  as 
is  the  interior  of  Africa. 

James  Russell  Lowell,  in  his  charmingly  idyllic  Intro- 
duction to  I'he  Comjjlete  Anylei',  tells  us  that  the  contem- 


XIV  A   PRELIMINARY    CAST 

plation  of  such  u  life  as  Walton's  "  both  soothes  and 
charms,  .  ,  .  and  we  sigh  to  think  that  the  like  of  it  ib 
possible  no  longer.  .  .  .  Where  now,"  he  asks,  '"would 
the  fugitive  from  the  espials  of  our  modern  life  find  a 
sanctuary  which  telegraph  or  telephone  had  not  deflow- 
ered ?"  The  rej)ly  will  be  found  in  those  of  the  follow- 
ing pages  that  tell  of  the  Canadian  environment  of  the 
ouananiche  —  the  vast  and  all  but  unknown  reaches  of 
the  great  Labrador  peninsula  that  form  the  large  lake- 
lands of  the  North,  whose  only  gateways  are  the  estuaries 
of  mighty  rivers,  and  that  know  no  other  means  of  com- 
munication with  the  outer  world  than  the  birch -bark 
canoe  of  the  aboriginal  Montagnais  and  the  often  un- 
blazed  trail  of  the  roving  savage. 

In  reeling  up  his  preliminary  cast,  it  only  remains  to 
the  author  to  place  on  record  his  indebtedness  to  the 
many  good  friends  who  have  in  so  many  ways  encour- 
aged and  aided  him  in  the  preparation  of  "The  Ouaxa- 
NicHE  AND  Its  Canadian  Environment." 

E.  T.  D.  Chambers. 

Quebec,  Canada,  May,  1896. 


INTliODUCTIOK 

BY 

Lieut. -Col.  ANDREW  HAGGARD,  D.  S.  O. 


mTEODUCTION 


It  is  more  than  two  years  from  the  present  time  of 
writing  that  I  last  experienced  the  thrilling  sensation 
imparted  by  feeling  a  lively  five-pound  ouananiche  skip- 
ping and  darting  about  at  the  end  of  my  line.  It  was 
an  afternoon  in  the  end  of  August,  and  the  scene  was  a 
jDOol  of  the  Metabetchouan  River,  which  flows  into  the 
Lake  of  St.  John  on  the  southern  side.  Unfortunately, 
my  friend  Mr.  E.  T.  D.  Chambers,  the  author  of  this 
work,  who  had  previously  been  my  partner  in  many  a 
pv^ril  on  the  far  rapids  of  the  Peribonca  lliver,  had  been 
obliged  to  leave  me  for  Quebec,  and  therefore  he  was  not 
able  to  join  us  in  the  fun.  For  I  was  accompanied  by 
our  mutual  friend  Mr.  Albert  Patterson,  so  well  known 
as  a  good  all-round  sportsman;  and  although  he  had 
that  day  given  up  fishing  himself  in  disgust,  as  the 
ouananiche  positively  refused  to  take  the  fly,  a  very  jolly 
time  we  had  of  it  together,  so  constantly  were  his  ser- 
vices required  with  the  landing-net,  and  from  the  rocky 
nature  of  the  banks  it  required  a  really  active  fellow 
like  himself  to  land  the  fish.  Armed  with  an  old  but 
somewhat  stiff  trout-rod,  which  already  in  1892  had  seen 
twenty  years'  good  and  faithful  service,  I  had  scrambled 
out  along  a  log,  Avhich  proved  the  connecting-link  between 
the  shore  and  a  small,  solitary  rock  just  large  enough  to 


xviii  INTKOUUCTION 

afford  ii  somewhat  hazardous  foothold.  It  was  situated 
in  the  deep  and  smooth  but  swift-ruuning  water  at  the 
head  of  a  furious  and  broken  ra])id,  for  it  was  this  smooth 
and  swift  unbroken  water  tliat  previous  experience  had 
tauglit  me  was  the  principal  home  of  the  ouananiche,  or, 
at  all  events,  the  place  whence  he  was  most  likely  to  be 
lured  jjy  the  angler's  skill.  Having  found  the  fly  to  be 
useless,  my  rod  was  armed  with  a  good-sized  phantom 
minnow;  for  size,  I  found,  was  required,  on  account  of 
the  extra  weight  in  the  metid  at  the  head,  which  caused 
it  to  sink.  The  color  did  not  so  much  matter  on  that 
particular  day,  as  both  a  brown  and  a  blue  minnow 
literally  had  the  hooks  torn  off  on  several  occasions  by 
the  savage  way  in  which  the  fish,  when  hooked,  would 
shake  their  heads,  much  as  a  bulldog  will  shake  a  rat. 
This  naturally  required  occasional  stoppages  for  repairs, 
which  were  executed  roughly  but  swiftly  with  thread 
and  coltlder's  wax,  and  Avhen  the  latter  was  lost  in  tlie 
river,  with  thread  alone.  My  minnow  Avas  mounted  on 
a  single  gut  trace,  and  my  modus  i,^  "audi  was  as  fol- 
lows :  I  invariably  threw  my  line  straight  across  the 
stream ;  then,  after  allowing  a  second  or  t\vo  to  let  it 
sink,  turning  the  point  of  my  rod  down-stream  with  a 
steady  but  continuous  motion,  I  kept  the  bait  moving 
and  spinning  until  the  force  of  the  current  had  carr.'ed 
it  away  so  that  it  hung  straight  down-stream  at  right 
angles  to  the  point  of  my  rod.  Then,  while  I  continued 
moving  the  point  of  the  rod,  but  now  in  the  direction 
of  the  shore,  I  commenced  pulling  in  the  line  in  the 
Devonshire  fashion  by  a  shuttle -like  motion  with  the 
left  hand,  thus  making  the  bait  travel  in  little  jerks  uj) 
the  stream  again.  And  it  was  almost  invariably  at  the 
moment  after  the  end  of  the  swing,  just  when  the  min- 
now had   commenced  its  journey  shorewards  and  up- 


A   I'UUL    OF   TUE   MHTABETCllOLA^    lUVEU 


INTRODUCTION  X\X 

wards,  that  tho  ouananiche  seized  the  bait.  The  fish  had 
in  all  probability  in  most  instances  been  following  it  for 
some  way,  for,  as  from  long  practice  1  was  able  to  cast  a 
very  long  line,  I  often  nearly  reached  a  cliff  on  the  far- 
ther shore.  Bnt  the  point  where  it  was  seized  was  always 
the  same — just  after  the  turn,  Avhen  hanging  at  the  tail 
of  the  silent,  heavy  water  just  above  the  broken  rapid, 
and  as  the  minnow  was  beginning  to  come  up  the  stream 
again.  What  a  glorious  afternoon  we  had  of  it  that  day  ! 
I  killed  thirteen  ouananiche,  weighing  fifty-eight  pounds, 
and  lost  at  least  thirteen  more ;  and  grand  sport  they 
gave.  In  weight  they  varied  from  one  three-pounder  to 
one  six-pounder.  All  the  rest  were  from  three  and  a  half 
to  five  and  a  half  pounds  in  weight.  I  still  preserve  in 
my  rod-case  a  stick  upon  which  that  day  Albert  Patter- 
son amused  himself  by  carving  the  weights,  the  name  of 
the  river,  my  own  name,  and  the  number  of  fish  captured, 
which  stick  is  often  admired  by  the  Highland  gillies. 

From  the  observations  I  took  of  the  behavior  of  the 
fish  on  that  particular  afternoon,  my  previous  opinion 
that  the  ouananiche  was  a  salmon-trout  and  not  a  salmon 
was  confirmed.  Except  in  one  case,  that  of  a  three  and 
a  half  pounder,  a  fish  which  gave  a  splendid  run  in  the 
smooth  Avater,  and  in  another,  where  a  fish,  getting  into 
the  heavy  broken  water,  had  no  choice  but  to  run  down 
the  rapid,  iW  of  the  fish  hooked  confined  themselves 
chiefly  to  jumping,  as  is  the  way  with  all  the  varieties  of 
sea-trout,  be  they  known  as  whitling,  sewen,  salmon-peel, 
truff,  or  merely  salmon  -  trout,  which  we  catch  in  the 
British  Islands  from  the  northernmost  island  of  the 
Shetland  group  down  to  the  southernmost  extremity  of 
Cornwall.  Now,  as  all  salmon  fishers  know,  the  Salmo 
salar  may  jump  occasionally,  and,  in  fact,  unless  an  un- 
usually heavy  fish,  will  throw  himself  out  of  the  water 


XX  INTRODUCTION 

once  or  twice — three  times  even ;  but  his  principal  tac- 
tics lie  in  making  spirited  dashes  up  or  down  the  stream, 
making  the  reel  screech  again,  and  bringing  the  angler's 
heart  farther  up  into  his  mouth  with  every  extra  yard  of 
line  taken  out. 

As  regards  the  comparison  of  sport,  however,  which 
ouananiche  fishing  bears  in  relation  to  all  other  kinds  of 
fishing,  it  is,  in  my  opinion,  hard  to  beat.  Whether  the 
fish  be  hooked  upon  a  fly  or  on  a  minnow  with  a  fine  gut 
collar,  from  the  moment  he  first  has  the  bait  in  his  mouth 
until  he  is  not  only  in  the  landing-net  but  actually 
"grassed,"  he  always  has  a  chance  of  escape,  and  even 
when  landed  he  cannot  be  always  reckoned  as  killed. 
Such  is  his  elasticity,  the  india-rubber,  gutta-percha, 
racket -ball  nature  of  his  backbone,  that  he  resembles 
Rudyard  Kipling's  description  of  our  dear,  well-remem- 
bered foeman,  the  "  Fuzzy  Wuzzy"  of  the  Soudan.  Like 
that  Iladendowah  Arab,  the  ouananiche  is  distinctly  an 
'*  india-rubber  idiot  on  the  spree."  Even  when  you  have 
got  him  in  the  landing-net  he  will  at  times  bound  out  of 
it  again  !  Bring  him  to  shore  on  a  somewhat  steep,  slop- 
ing bank,  and,  if  you  be  not  careful,  he  will,  describing 
an  arc  like  a  rainbow,  project  himself  over  your  stooping 
form,  far  back  into  the  waters  whence  he  came,  while  if 
you  have  so  far  succeeded  as  to  land  him  in  your  birch- 
bark  canoe,  your  only  chance  of  keeping  him  there  quiet 
is  to  sit  upon  his  head.  Ah  !  Cliauil)ers,  friend  of  my 
bygone  days,  dost  thou  not  remember  how  I  sat  upon 
the  head  of  that  shapely  six-pouiuler  in  our  frail  canoe 
on  the  pellucid  waters  of  Lake  Tschotagama,  while  he, 
with  his  brawny  tail,  administered  unto  me  such  a  cas- 
tigation  as  had  fortunately  never  been  my  lot  to  receive 
since  my  early  boyhood  days  at  school  ?  Ah  I  what  a 
time  we  had  of  it  together  on  that  voyage  up  the  Peri- 


INTRODUCTION  3tXi 

bonca  River  !  What  if  tlie  fisii  were  somewhat  scarce, 
was  it  not  worth  all  the  trouble,  especially  when,  perad- 
venture  fishing  with  two  or  three  flies,  we  sometimes  had 
a  brace  of  ouananiche  on  our  cast  at  the  same  time  ? 
Then  it  was  excitement  indeed  !  One  up,  one  down,  or 
perchance  it  might  be  both  of  them  out  of  the  Avater  to- 
gether, their  shimmering  sides  glistening  in  the  sun 
amidst  the  spray  of  the  splashing  Avaters,  as  burnished 
silver  salvers  shining  through  the  rainbows  of  a  water- 
fall. And  then  the  excitement  of  struggling  up  those 
deadly  rapids  above  or  below  the  fearful  cascades  of  that 
furious  river  !  the  delight  of  landing,  with  the  greatest 
skill,  from  our  canoe,  on  some  dangerous  rock  beneath 
the  waterfall,  and  thence  casting  the  fly  in  the  hroii — the 
white,  creamy  foam  of  the  first  eddy — to  see  its  white 
and  foaming  surface  broken  for  a  second  only,  and  then 
to  feel  something  like  a  young  shark  tearing  at  the  end 
of  the  line  !  But  have  we  not  been  tlu'ougli  all  this  to- 
gether ?  Have  we  not  shot  rapids,  campetl  out  in  bear- 
infested  islands,  performed  almost  impossible  portages, 
travelled  for  days  through  the  solitude  of  the  mighty  and 
eternal  forests  ?  Ah !  this  it  is  which  brings  the  advan- 
tages of  ouananiche  fishing  far  ahead  of  all  other  fishing 
in  the  mind  of  the  really  enthusiastic  sportsman.  It  is 
the  strange  and  mighty  communings  with  Nature,  in- 
duced by  the  dangers  and  difficulties  tlirough  which  he 
passes,  which  to  the  angler  elevate  what  in  other  lands 
niiiv  be  looked  upon  but  as  a  trivial  s})urt  into  a  noble 
pursuit — one  of  whicli  a  fortnight's  enjoyment  is,  with 
all  its  i)erils  and  excitements,  worth  a  month  on  the  best 
salmon  river  that  Scotland  or  Ireland  can  boast.  I  have 
fished  with  many  companions  in  Scotland,  in  Norway,  in 
Ireland,  in  Spain,  in  England,  in  India,  in  Asia  Minor, 
in  Turkey,  in  Egypt,  in  Canada,  in  British  Columbia, 


XXii  INTRODUCTION 

and  various  other  now  forgotten  parts  of  the  world  ;  but 
for  all  iishing  countries,  all  companions,  and  all  kinds 
of  fishing,  give  me  some  real  good  days  in  the  district  of 
Lake  !St.  John  above  Quebec — give  me  Chambers  for  my 
companion,  and  let  the  fish  be  the  ouananiche. 

Andrew  Haggard. 


THE    GUANANICHE 

(if  Its  Cajsjadjan 
Environment. 


j/*-^-.. 


'^■%i;^S 


;>.','  ET.DChambeijs 


pact  ir 

THE    OUANANICHE    AND    ITS    CANADIAN 
ENVIRONMENT 


DESCRIPTION,  CLASSIFICATION,  AND   HABITS 
OF  THE  OUANANICHE 


THE    OUANANICHE    AND    ITS    CANADIAN 
ENVIRONMENT 


"  OuANANiciiE  "  is  not  to  be  found  in  any  of  the  dic- 
tionaries. But  it  has  a  place  in  the  vocabulary  of 
thousands  of  anglers.  It  is  a  household  word  with  all 
who  have  made  the  acquaintance  of  Canada's  distinc- 
tively fresh-water  salmon.  It  is  the  now  generally 
accepted  designation  of  the  gamest  fish  for  its  size  that 
swims.  Ages  before  the  arrival  of  the  first  white  man 
in  America,  the  Montagnais  Indians,  who  roved  and 
hunted  the  trackless  wilderness  between  Hudson  Bay 
and  the  St.  La\vrence,  gave  this  name  to  the  partic- 
ular salmon  that  they  found  all  the  year  round  in  the 
waters  of  the  streams  and  lakes  that  served  as  high- 
ways for  the  passage  of  their  birch-bark  canoes. 

"The  Canadian  environment"  of  the  ouananiche 
is  fully  as  fascinating  to  the  sportsman,  the  tourist, 
the  lover  of  Nature,  and  the  student  of  ethnography 
as  is  the  fish  itself  to  those  who  angle  for  it.  A  great 
deal  of  ignorance  concerning  this  country  has  disap- 
peared in  recent  years  with  the  steadily  increasing 
rush  into  it  of  angler  tourists,  though  it  is  not  yet 
six  years  ago  that  a  letter  was  received  from  a  New 
England  sportsman,  who  had  noticed  my  name  at 
the  foot  of  an  article  on  ouananiche  fishing,  and  who 


4  THE   OUANANICIIE 

anxiously  inquired,  prior  to  making  up  his  party  for 
a  trip  to  Lake  St.  John,  whether  the  Indians  and  half- 
breeds  up  that  way  were  peaceable,  and  if  it  was  safe 
for  ladies  to  accompany  the  party  ! 

Lake  St.  John,  the  present  centre  of  ouananiche 
fishing  in  Canada — 190  miles  by  railway  to  the  north 
of  Quebec,  and  nearly  a  hundred  miles  in  circumfer- 
ence— was  discovered  250  years  ago  by  Father  de 
Quen,  the  Jesuit  missionary  to  the  Indians.  The 
hardships  which  he  endured  in  ascending  the  rapids 
and  crossing  the  portages  that  lay  between  the  navi- 
gable ])ortions  of  the  Saguenay  and  Lake  St.  John  are 
described  with  remarkable  felicity  of  expression  in 
a  letter  addressed  by  him  to  the  Father  Superior  of 
his  order  in  France,  and  which  is  still  preserved  in 
the  lidations  des  Jean  lies.  Yet  but  little  more  was 
really  known  of  the  great  inland  sea  and  the  details 
of  its  fish  fauna  until  very  recent  years,  or  of  the 
weird  land — "  in  mist  and  glamour  wrapped  " —  by 
which  it  is  surrounded.  Tliis  vast  reach  of  country 
that  extends  from  Quebec  to  Hudson  Bay,  from  the 
St.  Lawrence  to  Ungava,  and  from  the  waters  of  the 
St.  Maurice  to  the  Atlantic  coast  of  Labrador,  has 
been  aptly  termed  Nature's  great  fish  preserve.  Its 
waters  abound  in  brook  and  lake  trout  as  well  as  in 
ouananiche,  and  in  various  localities  are  to  be  found 
also,  prominent  among  a  number  of  other  varieties, 
pike  and  pickerel,  chub  and  carp,  perch  and  bass,  fresh- 
water smelt  and  whitefish  ;  the  lower  reaches  of  many 
of  its  mighty  rivers  affording  opportunities  for  some 
of  the  grandest  salmon  and  sea-trout  fishing  that  the 
world  has  ever  known. 


DESCTIIPTION,  CLASSIFICATION,  AND 
HABITS  OF  THE  OUANANICHE 


The  ouananiche  is  the  salmon  of  a  number  of  the 
inland  waters  of  northern  and  eastern  Canada,  near- 
ly all  of  Avhich  have  direct  communication  with  the 
sea.  Careful  observation  tends  to  the  belief  that  it 
very  seldom  descends  to  salt  water.  But  its  fresh- 
water habitat  the  whole  year  round  being  from  choice 
rather  than  necessity,  the  common  practice  of  speak- 
ing of  it  as  a  landlocked  salmon  is  simply  a  common 
error.  Landlocked  it  assuredly  is  not,  at  all  events,  in 
any  portion  of  the  Lake  St.  John  country,  where  all 
the  waters  that  it  inhabits  communicate  with  those  of 
the  lower  St.  Lavrrence  by  way  of  the  Saguenay.  The 
familiar  story  of  the  Lake  St.  John  ouananiche,  shut 
out  from  the  sea  by  some  extraordinary  upheaval  of 
nature  in  the  bed  of  the  Saguenay,  is,  of  course,  en- 
tirely apocryphal,  for  Avater  never  yet  flowed  that 
smolt  could  not  descend,  and  it  has  still  to  be  estab- 
lished that  the  Saguenay  was  ever  dry.  Professor  G. 
Brown  Goode*  refers  to  a  somewhat  similar  claim 
on  the  part  of  some  investigators,  that  landlocked 
salmon  did  not  exist  in  certain  regions  of  Maine  and 
New  Brunswick,  in  which  the^  are  now  found,  until 

*  Goode's  American  Fishes,  p.  445. 


6  DESCRIPTION,  CLASSIFICATION,  AND 

some  fifty  years  ago,  when  their  access  to  salt  water 
was  cut  off  by  dams.  But  as  tlie  professor  well  says  : 
"  This  hypothesis  is  not  necessary,  for  in  the  Sague- 
nay  the  winninish  [ouananiche]  has  easy,  unobstructed 
access  to  the  sea.  The  salmon  of  Lake  Ontario  and 
its  tributaries  are  not  thought  to  enter  salt  water,  and 
there  are  similar  instances  of  landlocking  in  the  lakes 
of  northern  Sweden."  The  same  authority  also  makes 
mention  of  the  well-known  case  of  the  Stormontfield 
Ponds  in  England,  where  salmon  have  thriven  for 
years  in  the  lakes  in  which  they  have  been  confined. 
And  I  have  the  best  authority  for  the  statement  that 
there  were  so-called  landlocked  salmon  in  Maine  be- 
fore the  construction  of  dams  in  the  streams  which 
led  from  their  fresh-water  habitat  to  the  sea ;  and, 
further,  that  even  at  the  present  time  there  is  no 
obstruction  to  their  passage  to  salt  water.  In  proof 
of  this  statement  it  is  only  necessary  that  I  should 
quote  the  following  extract  from  a  letter,  dated  May 
25,  1894,  addressed  to  Mr.  A.  Nelson  Cheney  by  Mr. 
Charles  G.  Atkins,  who  has  charge  of  the  salmon 
hatcheries  of  Maine : 

" .  .  .  In  your  letter  of  the  6th  you  ask  about  the 
obstructions  to  the  passage  of  the  landlocked  salmon 
of  Maine  to  and  from  the  sea  in  recent  and  former 
times.  Before  man's  interference,  the  way  was  open 
to  all  the  landlocked  salmon  of  Maine  to  go  to  sea  and 
to  return  to  their  native  streams  and  the  lakes  they 
frequented.  In  recent  times,  and  indeed  at  present, 
the  way  is  still  open  for  them  to  go  to  sea,  but  their 
return  has  been  hindered  by  dams  on  every  river  where 
they  are  naturally  found.     In  each  case  I  think  it  well 


HAHIT8    OF  THE   OUANANICHE  7 

established  that  there  have  been  periods  of  years  when 
it  was  impossible  for  them  to  return,  the  dams  being 
insurmountable.  Fishways  have  been  constructed  on 
all  the  rivers  in  question,  and  thereby  all  of  them  have 
been  for  part  if  not  all  of  the  time  for  the  past  twenty 
years  reopened,  so  that  in  some  instances  the  sea-salmon 
have  ascended  as  far  as  the  haunts  of  the  landlocks ; 
but  I  have  no  evidence  that  the  landlocked  salmon 
have  used  these  fishways.  They  may  have  done  so  to 
a  limited  extent,  but  I  have  not  heard  of  it.  Thev  do 
not  descend  in  sufficient  numbers  to  warrant  us  in  look- 
ins:  for  their  return.  I  am  not  aware  that  the  descent 
of  any  of  them  to  the  sea  has  been  observed,  but  it  is 
reported  that  they  do,  at  the  spawning  season,  descend 
from  Sebago  Lake  into  the  Presumpscot  River,  and  if 
so  we  might  expect  them  to  return  via  the  fishway  at 
the  outlet  of  the  lake.  It  is  a  matter  of  tradition  that 
many  years  ago — say,  forty  or  fifty — it  was  not  uncom- 
mon for  landlocked  salmon  to  be  taken  farther  down 
the  Saint  Croix  and  the  Presumpscot  than  in  recent 
times,  but  I  never  gatliered  any  considerable  body  of 
testimony  on  this  point." 

The  late  Rev.  Dr.  Adamson,  as  long  ago  as  1856,  in 
referring*  to  the  then  debated  question  as  to  whether 
the  salmon  of  Lake  Ontario  went  up  the  St.  Lawrence 
in  the  early  spring,  under  the  pavement  of  ice  resting 
upon  its  surface,  or  whether  they  spent  the  winter  in 
Lake  Ontario,  held  that  there  was  some  foundation  for 
believing  that  salmon  would  not  only  live  but  breed  also 
in  fresh  water  without  visiting  the  sea.     Mr.  L.  Lloyd, 

*  la  a  paper  read  before  the  Canadian  Institute,  Dec.  6, 1856. 


8  DESCRIPTION,  CLASSIFICATION,  AND 

in  his  interesting*  work  on  the  field  sports  of  the  north 
of  Europe,  says :  "  Near  Katrineberg  there  is  a  valuable 
fishery  for  salmon,  ten  or  twelve  thousand  of  these 
fish  being  taken  annually.  These  salmon  are  bred  in 
a  lake,  and  in  consequence  of  cataracts  cannot  have 
access  to  (l)  the  sea.  They  are  small  in  size  and  inferior 
in  flavor."     Are  thej'^  ouananiche,  or  what  ? 

Mr.  Scrope  relates  f  that  Mr.  George  Dormer,  of 
Stone  Mills,  in  the  parish  of  Bridport,  put  a  female 
salmon  which  measured  twenty  inches  in  length,  and 
was  caught  by  him  at  his  mill-dam,  into  a  small  well, 
"where  it  remained  twelve  years,  became  quite  tame 
and  familiar,  so  as  to  feed  from  the  hand,  and  was  vis- 
ited by  many  persons  of  respectability  from  Exeter  and 
its  neighborhood. 

The  early  Romans  extended  their  cultivation  of  the 
art  of  pisciculture  to  that  of  acclimation,  or  the  breed- 
ing and  raising  of  salt-water  fish — probably  those  of 
anadroraous  habits — in  lakes  and  fresh-water  rivers. 

A  recent  writer,  :|:  improving  upon  the  fanciful  theory 
advanced  by  Mr.  McCarthy,§  that  the  progenitors  of 
Lake  St.  John's  ouananiche  were  imprisoned  above  an 
impassable  barrier  at  Chicoutimi,  by  some  upheaval  of 
nature  which  prevented  their  return  to  salt  water  and 

*  Field  Sjm'ts  of  the  North  of  Europe:  Comprised  in  o  Personal 
Nai'rative  of  a  Residence  in  Sweden  and  Norway  in  the  Years  1827-28. 
3  vols.     London,  1830. 

\  Days  and  Nights  of  Salmon  Fishing  in  the  Tweed,  by  William 
Scrope,  Esq.    London,  1843. 

I  Rev.  Joseph  Gamble,  in  a  paper  read  before  the  Plattsburg  Insti- 
tute. February  4,  1895. 

fc^See  Thi'  Leaping  Ouananiche,  by  Mr.  Eugene  McCarthy  (1894), 
p.  11. 


HABITS   OF    THE   OUANANICIIE  '9 

transformed  them  into  ouananiche,  suggests  that  the 
original  ouananiche  were  enterprising  emigrants  from 
a  former  salt-water  environment  and  voluntary  set- 
tlers amid  new  surroundings.  They  have  certainly 
been  neither  imprisoned  nor  landlocked  against  their 
will,  but  it  has  not  apparently  occurred  to  the  Eev. 
Mr.  Gamble  that  the  ouananiche,  instead  of  being  an 
immigrant  or  a  settler,  inhabits  the  home  of  its  earliest 
ancestors,  while  the  emigrant  is  the  salmon  of  the  sea, 
wdio  when  in  salt  water  is  a  stranger  and  a  sojourner, 
as  all  his  fathers  were  while  there.  "  It  would  seem 
to  be  a  fact,"  he  nevertheless  says,  "bej'ond  reasonable 
doubt,  that  at  some  ])ast  period  of  their  piscatorial 
destiny  a  colony  of  salmon  from  the  sea,  well  satis- 
fied with  the  depth  of  the  waters  and  the  abundance 
of  food  in  the  Saguenay,  conckided  to  secede  from 
their  oceanic  domain,  and.  remaining  in  their  congenial 
environment,  founded  a  kingdom  of  their  own."  There 
is  more  ingenuity  in  this  theory  than  in  that  of  im- 
prisonment or  landlocking.  for  it  does  not,  like  the  oth- 
er, presuppose  conditions,  the  non-existence  of  which 
is  patent  enough  to  anybody  who  will  take  the  trouble 
to  visit  the  locality,  and  to  descend  the  Saguenay  from 
Lake  St.  John  to  tidal  water  at  Chicoutimi  for  the 
purpose  of  investigating  for  himself.  But  it  has  little 
else  than  this  ingenuity  and  its  novelty  to  recommend 
it,  and  must  be  immediately  abandoned  when  investi- 
gating the  case  of  ouananiche  in  the  inland  waters  of 
Labrador,  sometimes  found  above  falls  of  a  hundred  or 
more  feet  in  height. 

Despite  the  limited  amount  of  competent  observa- 
tion that  has  been  bestowed  upon  the  Canadian  ouan- 


10  DESCRIPTION,  CLASSIFICATION,  AND 

aniche,  it  may  be  safely  concluded  that,  as  in  the  case 
of  the  so-called  landlocks  of  Maine,  they  do  not 
descend  to  salt  water  in  any  considerable  numbers, 
though,  like  them,  they  have  usually  uninterrupted 
communication  with  the  sea — always  towards  it,  and 
in  some  cases,  as  in  that  of  Lake  St.  John  and  most  of 
its  tributary  waters,  in  both  directions.  As  Mr.  At- 
kins says  of  the  Maine  fish,  I  am  not  aware  that 
the  descent  of  any  of  the  ouananiche  to  the  sea  hrs 
been  observed.  But  there  are  well-authenticated  in- 
stances of  solitary  specimens  having  been  found  close 
to  the  salt  water  of  the  St.  Lawrence  in  the  lower 
stretches  of  the  Saguenay.  There  is  even  a  story  of 
stragglers  having  been  occasionally  caught  in  Tadous- 
sac  Bay.  Ex-Lieutenant-Governdr  Angers,  of  Que- 
bec, took  a  small  ouananiche  some  years  ago,  while 
fishing  for  sea-trout  at  the  mouth  of  the  Marguerite, 
some  fifteen  miles  from  Tadoussac ;  and  Mr.  Walter 
Brackett,  the  famous  fish  artist  of  Boston,  who  could 
not  possibly  be  mistaken  in  his  specimen,  reports  the 
capture  of  others  below  his  salmon  waters  upon  the 
same  stream.  The  lowest  point  in  the  Saguenay 
River  in  which  there  is  well-established  record  of  the 
fish  having  been  seen  in  any  considerable  number 
is  in  the  vicinity  of  Chicoutimi,  where  many  of  them 
are  annually  taken  at  the  foot  of  the  lowest  rapids  of 
the  river,  and  but  a  short  distance  from  the  head  of 
steamboat  navigation.  That  few  it  any  of  them  de- 
scend to  the  sea  is  evident  from  the  difference  in  color 
between  their  flesh  and  that  of  the  sea-going  salmon. 
The  ouananiche  prey  upon  the  ouitouche  and  other 
small  white  fish  found  in  the  streams  and  lakes  that 


HABITS   OF   THE    OUANANICHE  11 

they  inhabit.  The  deeper  pink  color  of  the  flesh  of 
the  common  Sahno  salar  that  comes  of  a  salt-water 
diet,  of  which  small  red  crustaceans  and  their  eggs 
form  the  larger  part,  is  at  all  times  wanting  in  the 
ouananiche.  It  is  certain,  too,  that  the  ouananiche  of 
Lake  St.  John  is  found  in  fresh  water  the  whole  year 
round.  It  is  angled  for  from  the  middle  of  May  to 
the  middle  of  September,  and  throughout  the  whole  of 
the  winter  season  is  taken  from  under  the  ice  in  nets, 
notably  at  Isle  Ronde,  in  Lake  St.  John — a  pretty 
island  from  two  to  three  miles  distant  from  the  mouth 
of  the  Grande  Decharge.  In  Lake  Tschotagama,  too, 
more  than  fifty  miles  north  of  Lake  St.  John  by  way 
of  the  Peribonca  River,  ouananiche  are  killed  by  the 
Indians  at  all  seasons  of  the  year.  I  have  been  un- 
able to  ascertain  that  these  fish  have  ever  been  taken 
in  winter  in  rapid  water,  the  bulk  of  the  evidence  that 
I  have  collected  tending  to  prove  that  after  spawning 
they  retire  to  the  deeper  waters  of  the  great  inland 
lakes.  It  often  happens,  for  instance,  that  specimens 
of  the  burbot  or  fresh-\v.iter  cusk  {Lota  Americana) 
are  taken  out  of  Lake  St.  John  through  the  ice,  meas- 
uring three  to  four  feet  in  length,  and  having  Avithin 
them  the  undigested  carcases  of  recently  swallowed 
ouananiche. 

Only  until  very  recent  times  has  much  been  known 
of  the  spawning  habits  and  migrations  of  the  ouana- 
niche. Charles  Hallock,  in  1802,  described  the  wana- 
nislie  (ouananiche)  as  spawning  in  the  tributaries  of 
Lake  St.  John.*  Mr.  J.  G.  A.  Creighton  points  out  that 
they  evidently  spawn  also  in  the  Grande  Decharge.f 

*  American  Oame  Fishes,  p.  35.  +  Idem,  p.  87. 


13  DESCRirTION,  CLASSIFICATION,  AND 

Both  are  undoubtedly  correct.  In  the  Grande  De- 
charge  I  have  had  exactly  the  same  experience  as 
Mr.  Creio;hton.  But  in  addition  to  takino;  adults 
there  in  September  with  milt  and  ova  well  devel- 
oped and  all  other  characteristics  of  the  spawning 
salmon  present,  I  have  seen  thousands  of  the  fr}'  in 
some  of  the  gravelly  pools  in  the  early  summer. 
Though  there  is  a  well-established  case  recorded  by 
Mr.  Creighton  of  ouananiche  spawning  in  a  small 
pool  half-way  up  the  wild  falls  in  the  Peribonca 
River  known  as  the  chute  aii,  diahle,  I  believe  that  they 
usually  avoid  the  larger  streams  in  ..  meeting  their 
spawning-grounds  and  deposit  their  ova  in  the  shal- 
low water  of  the  smaller  rivers,  where  the  newly 
hatched  fry  incur  less  danger  of  being  snapped  up  by 
the  hungry  pike  {Esox  lucius),  the  water-wolf  of  Lake 
St.  John  and  its  larger  tributaries.  In  the  peculiar 
case  mentioned  by  Mr.  Creighton,  parental  instinct 
could  scarcely  have  devised  a  safer  spawning-bed  for 
the  immunity  from  this  danger  of  the  future  fry.  Kot 
many  years  ago,  one  of  the  best-known  resorts  of  the 
ouananiche  for  the  spawning  season  was  the  Salmon 
River,  a  small  tributary'-  of  the  Ashuapmouchounn. 
The  erection  of  a  mill-dam  upon  the  stream  not  far 
from  its  mouth,  and  the  absence  there  of  any  fishwny, 
have  driven  the  fish  elsewhere,  and  now  perhaps  the 
favorite  tributary  of  the  Ashuapmouchouan  as  a  spawn- 
incr-fr:  ound  for  the  ouananiche  is  the  Riviere  du  Crnn. 
Similarly  conditioned  feeders  of  the  other  large  tribu- 
taries of  Lake  St.  John  are  also  resorted  to  for  the 
same  purpose.  But  there  are  spawning-beds  for  the 
fish   in  the  lake  itself,  and,  it  is  probable,  in  most 


HABITS    OF   THE    OUANANICUE  18 

of  the  other  large  lakes  connected  Avitli  its  tribu- 
tary waters.  Around  Isle  Ilonde,  already  referred  to, 
and  in  other  parts  of  Lake  St.  John,  notably  at  some 
distance  off  Pointe  Bleue,  ouananiche  are  found  in 
large  numbers  in  the  act  of  spawning,  in  the  month  of 
October,  after  the  iish  of  the  rivers  have  ceased  run- 
ning up  them.  In  their  selection  of  these  spawning- 
beds  it  is  probable  that  they  count  upon  the  shallow- 
ness of  the  water  to  protect  their  spawn  from  pike, 
burbot,  and  other  such  deadly  foes  as  roam  the  greater 
depths  of  the  lake,  seeking  what  they  may  devour. 
Another  favorite  resort  of  the  ouananiche  for  spawn- 
ing purposes  is  found  a  few  miles  u])  the  Metabet- 
chouan  from  its  mouth,  at  the  foot  of  the  large  falls 
of  that  important  stream,  but  at  a  sufficient  elevation 
above  the  surface  of  Lake  St.  John  to  be  secure  from 
the  presence  of  either  pike  or  ling.  The  ouananiche 
ascend  the  river  from  the  lake  and  surmount  its  lower 
falls  in  the  early  part  of  August.  Towards  the  end  of 
October,  if  not  earlier,  they  commence  to  spawn,  care- 
ful observation  showing  that  the  parent  fish  make 
deep  furrows  in  the  sand  or  gravel  by  means  of  their 
noses  and  tails  for  the  reception  of  their  ova,  exactly 
as  in  the  case  of  the  salmon  from  the  sea. 

The  little  that  was  until  lately  known  respecting 
the  winter  habitat  of  the  ouananiche  and  the  locality 
of  its  various  sjiawning-beds  is,  after  all,  not  more  sur- 
l)rising  than  the  absence  of  definite  knowledge  con- 
cerning other  fish  life,  under  conditions  much  mora  fa- 
vorable for  observation  and  study.  Thus  we  have  it  on 
the  statement  of  no  less  an  authority  than  Professor 
Ramsay  Wright,  of  the  University  of  Toronto,  that 


14  DESCRIPTION,  CLASSIFICATION,  AND 

it  is  still  (1892)  uncertain  whether  the  gaspereau  or 
alewife  {Cliqyea ijneudoharengus  or  venialls),  which  ap- 
pears abimdantl}'  every  spring  towards  the  end  of 
April  in  Lake  Ontario,  and  disappears  just  as  suddenly 
in  September  or  October,  goes  down  to  the  ocean  in 
the  fall  and  returns  tlience  in  the  spring,  or  whether  it 
merely  retires  to  the  deep  waters  of  the  lake ;  though 
it  was  introduced  there  as  long  ago  as  1873,  according 
to  Dr.  Bean,  and  then,  it  is  said,  accidentally'^,  when 
the  intention  was  to  plant  shad.  The  general  impres- 
sion, however,  among  the  fishermen  is  that  the  ale- 
wives  are  permanent  inhabitants  of  the  lake ;  though 
this,  if  correct,  is  from  choice  rather  than  necessity, 
there  being  no  more  obstruction  to  their  descent  to 
the  sea  than  there  is  to  that  of  the  ouananiche  from 
Lake  St,  John. 

A  similar  scientific  uncertainty  existed  as  to  the 
migrations  of  the  salmon  of  Lake  Ontario,  now  prac- 
tically a  fish  of  the  past,  but  of  exceeding  abundance 
from  thirty  to  forty  years  ago.  The  late  Professor 
Baird,  speaking  at  a  conference  of  fish  commissioners 
held  in  New  York  City  in  1872,  stated  that  it  had  not 
been  determined  whether  the  Ontario  salmon  went  to 
the  ocean  and  returned  to  the  lake  again  each  year ; 
and  subsequent  to  the  date  of  the  statement  the 
decrease  of  the  species  in  that  water  followed  so 
rapidly  that  there  have  been  few  opportunities  for 
observation.  But  just  as  in  the  case  of  the  alewife, 
the  bulk  of  the  evidence  favors  the  belief  that  the 
Lake  Ontario  salmon,  instead  of  returning  to  the  sea 
subsequent  to  spawning,  after  the  manner  of  the  fish 
in  the  coastal  streams,  simply  retired  to  the  deeper 


HABITS    OF   THE    OUANANICHE  15 

portions  of  the  lake.  As  a  matter  of  choice,  there- 
fore, it  had  become  what  is  popularly  known  as  a 
landlocked  salmon,  differing  only  in  its  habits,  like 
the  ouananiche,  from  the  ordinary  sea-salmon.  Pro- 
fessor Goode  claims  that  these  differences  in  their  life 
histories  seem  to  justify  the  claim  of  the  landlocked 
salmon  to  be  regarded  as  a  varieti/  of  Salmo  salar. 
Dr.  David  T.  Jordan  makes  a  similar  claim  on  behalf 
of  the  ouananiche,  unaware  probably  that,  identical 
as  it  is  with  the  sea-salmon,  it  has  not  even  peculiari- 
ties of  its  own  to  distinguish  it  from  the  landlocked 
salmon  of  Maine ;  for  Dr.  Jordan  has  never  fished  for 
the  ouananiche,  has  never  had  the  opportunity  of 
studying  it  in  life,  and  claims  to  have  no  idea  who 
the  original  discoverer  of  the  variety  Avas.  The  honor 
belongs  to  the  Jesuit  father  De  Quen,  who  as  long 
ago  as  16-i7  declared  it  to  be  a  salmon.  The  authority 
for  the  use  of  its  Indian  name,  in  various  phonetic 
spellings  of  the  Montagnais  word,  has  also  come  down 
to  us  from  bygone  centuries.  The  Jesuits  in  Xorth 
America  are  believed  to  be  responsible  for  the  French 
orthography  —  "ouananiche."  The  English  form  — 
"  winanis"  * — is  found  in  old  documents  of  the  earliest 
decade  of  the  present  century.  The  matter  of  nomen- 
clature in  the  present  case  belonging  rather  to  the 
literature  of  the  subject  than  to  the  science  of  ichth}'-- 
ology,  it  will  readily  be  conceded  that  the  action  of 
one  of  the  leading  ichthyologists  of  the  day  in  tracing 
back  the  authority  for  the  present  use  of  the  Indian 

*For  various  other  forms  see  the  chapter  entitled  "The  Phi- 
lology of  the  Ouananiche." 


16  DESCKIPTION,  CLASSIFICATION,  AND 

name  to  a  publication  issued  but  a  year  before,  and  to 
an  author  who  first  heard  the  word  but  live  years 
earlier,  is  the  result  of  an  imperfect  acquaintance 
with  the  Indian  folk-lore  and  the  I^rench-Canadian 
literature  of  the  subject.  The  present  author  is  com- 
plimented, nevertheless,  by  the  spelling  followed  by 
Dr.  Jordan,  having  vigorously  contended  for  its  adop- 
tion for  over  a  decade  past,  and  not  without  a  fair 
measure  of  success,  since  it  is  now  employed  by  the 
majority  of  writers  in  Shooting  and  Fishing,  Forest 
and  Stream,  the  London  Field,  American  Field,  and 
The  Fiihing  Gazette,  of  London.  Other  forms  of 
the  san.e  word  were  employed  to  designate  the  fish 
by  English-speaking  writers  almost  a  century  ago, 
and  by  Hallock  and  Creighton  nearly  twenty  years 
ago.  Nothing  can  be  more  preposterous  than  the 
claims  recently  set  up  that  the  name  is  a  new  one 
and  represents  a  new  member  of  the  salmon  family. 
Neither  of  them  was  new  to  French-Canadians  and 
Canadian  Indians  two  hundred  3'ears  ago.  To  the 
leading  spirits  in  American  angling  and  ichthyological 
science  both  have  been  for  some  time  familiar.  Agas- 
siz,  in  1875,  examined  the  ouananiche  with  Boardman 
and  Putnam,  and  declared  it  to  be  identical  Avith  the 
so-called  landlocked  salmon  of  Maine.  In  1879,  or  be- 
fore. Dr.  Hamlin  declared  the  ouananiche  the  same  as 
the  sea-salmon. 

How  the  Atlantic  salmon,  the  Canadian  ouananiche, 
and  the  landlocked  salmon  of  Maine  appear  to  the 
eye  of  the  artist,  when  compared,  is  related  in  the 
following  extract  from  a  letter  addressed  me  by  my 
good  friend  Mr.  Walter  M.  Brackett,  of  Boston  :  "  In 


HABITS   OF    THE    OUANANICIIE  17 

regard  to  the  ouananiche,  or,  as  we  call  them,  land- 
locked salmon,  my  first  acquaintance  with  them  dates 
back  to  1800  or  1861  (I  am  not  sure  Avhich),  when  I 
visited  Grand  Lake  stream,  in  the  eastern  part  of  the 
State  of  Maine,  where  they  then  existed  in  vast  num- 
bers ;  and  I  have  always  retained  a  very  vivid  recol- 
lection of  the  wonderful  sport  which  I  enjoyed.  The 
game  character  of  the  fish  was  a  revelation,  as  up  to 
that  time  I  had  not  killed  a  Salmo  solar.  I  made 
several  careful  studies  of  them  and  brought  home 
with  me  a  few  specimens,  two  of  which  I  presented 
to  Professor  Louis  Agassiz.  They  were  the  first  ones 
he  had  ever  seen.  After  a  careful  examination  he 
pronounced  them  to  be  landlocked  salmon.  One  of 
the  specimens  is  preserved  in  the  Agassiz  Museum  at 
Cambridge.  Several  years  after,  on  the  occasion  of 
my  first  visit  to  the  St.  Marguerite,  I  captured  two 
fish  which  I  at  once  recognized  as  identical  with  my 
earlier  acquaintance  at  the  Grand  Lake  stream.  As 
to  the  difference  between  grilse  and  ouananiche,  I 
can  only  speak  as  to  their  external  appearance,  never 
having  dissected  a  specimen  of  either.  This  is  very 
marked,  as  the  eye  of  the  ouananiche  is  much  the 
larger,  the  profile  rounder,  the  dark  spots  larger  and 
much  more  numerous.  The  body  at  its  juncture  with 
the  caudal  is  broader  and  flatter,  and  the  head  larger 
in  proportion  to  the  body.  In  fact,  the  grilse  is  much 
more  of  an  aristocrat  than  his  fresh-water  cousin,  be- 
ing finer  in  his  proportions  and  much  purer  in  color — 
due,  no  doubt,  to  his  different  habitat  and  food." 

The  above  and  other  variations  that  have  been  from 
time  to  time  reported  in  either  the  Canadian  or  Amer- 


18  DESCEIPTIOX,  CLASSIFICATION,  AND 

ican  ouananiche  are  not  sufficient  to  mark  it  as  a 
distinct  subspecies  of  Salmo  mlar.  They  doubtless 
all  arise  from  tlie  fact  that  the  ouananiche  dilfers  in 
its  life  history  from  the  salmon  that  runs  down  to 
the  sea,  and  are  not  nearly  as  marked  as  are  the  dif- 
ferences between  the  brook -trout  {Salmo  salvdlnus) 
taken  from  different  streams.  A  subspecific  name  in 
science  for  the  individuals  that  remain  in  fresh  water 
may  prove  convenient,  but,  with  all  due  respect  to 
Dr.  Jordan  and  Dr.  Goode,  different  habits  alone  can- 
not constitute  a  different  variety. 

Professor  Samuel  Garman,  of  the  Museum  of  Com- 
parative Zoology,  Cambridge,  Mass.,  thus  admirably 
illustrates,  in  the  course  of  a  recent  letter,  where  such 
erroneous  distinctions  would  lead  us :  "  Our  friends  find 
some  difficulty  in  accepting  the  conclusion  that  there 
never  was  a  variety  sehago.  None  the  less  it  is  the  fact. 
As  the  variety  was  characterized,  it  included  all  the 
young  of  S.  salar,  and  excluded  only  such  adults  as 
had  visited  the  sea.  Similar  distinctions  would  make 
a  different  variety  of  the  men  in  a  crew  out  on  a  voy- 
age, returning  with  modified  complexions;  or  a  new 
species  of  those  going  out  smooth-faced  and  returning 
with  whiskers.''  f 

Anatomically  there  is  no  difference  whatever  between 
the  ouananiche  and  the  Salmo  salar.  The  few  distinctive 
points  in  external  appearance  noted  by  Mr.  Brackett  as 
serving  to  identify  the  ouananiche  from  grilse  of  similar 
size—  local  adaptations,  as  they  evidently  are — apply ,  no 
doubt,  with  much  greater  force  to  the  Maine  fish,  res- 
idents of  placid  water,  and  to  the  few  junky  "  Canucks  " 
that  desert  the  rapids  of  la  grande  decharge  to  fatten 


TiAinrs  OF  THE  ouananiciie  19 

in  the  lower  and  tidal  Saguenay  and  to  occasionally 
come  to  grief  upon  AFr,  l>rackett's  salmon  tackle,  than 
to  the  typical  Canadian  ouananicl  e  of  Northern  rap- 
ids. Taken  from  one  of  the  larger  lakes  in  which  it 
is  found — whose  waters  would  seem  to  afford  it  a 
home  and  abundance  of  food  the  whole  year  round — 
a  ouananiciie*  will  just  about  fit  IMr.  Brackett's  de- 
scription, and  balance  the  scales  witli  a  salmon  from  the 
sea  of  equal  length.  The  Indians  Jiave  not  failed  to 
observe  the  close  resemblance  of  these  great  lake  fish 
to  the  Salmo  salar,  and  call  them  both  "  uchachoumac  " 
(ushashomek,  or  salmon).  But  take  a  ouananiche  from 
the  seething  waters  of  la  gmnde  deeharge,  from  the 
Caniapscow,  the  Koksoak,  the  Hamilton,  the  Natash- 
quan,  the  Musquarro,  or  other  of  the  great  rapid  rivers 
of  Labrador,  or  even  from  the  swift,  broad  tributaries 
of  Lake  St.  John,  and,  both  in  p^int  of  g.imeness  and  of 
beauty,  he  is  as  far  ahead  of  his  congener — painted  for 
us  with  so  much  skill  and  vigor  by  Mr.  Brackett — as 
a  trout  from  the  rapids  of  a  mountain  stream  excels 
another  of  the  same  variety  from  a  fish-fattening  pond. 
The  same  general  lines  that  form  the  contour  of  shapely 
beauty  for  the  naiad  of  the  angler — the  most  sym- 
metrical and  most  beautiful  fish  that  swims,  produc- 
ing a  form  most  admirably  adapted  to  rapid  motion, 
even  against  powerful  currents,  by  the  regular  tapering 
from  the  front  of  the  dorsal  fin  both  to  the  snout  and 

*  Those  acquainted  with  the  pronunciation  of  "ouananiche" 
(whon-nanislie  or  wannauishe),  and  wlio  know  that  "ou"  at  the 
commencement  of  a  French  word  is  given  the  sound  of  "w,"  will 
understand  wliy  I  invariably  use  the  article  "a"  before  it  instead 
of  "  an." 


20  DESCKII'TIOX,  CLASSIFICATION,  AND 

to  the  tail,  and  by  the  nearly  equal  convexity  of  back 
and  belly — are  common  to  both  salmon  and  ouananiche. 
But  the  ouananiche  of  the  Grande  Decharge  and 
equally  rapid  waters  elsewhere  is  an  even  more  gi-ace- 
f  ul,  more  active,  and  more  athletic  tish  than  the  visitor 
to  other  streams  from  the  sea,  and  is  consequently 
somewhat  longer  and  slimmer  in  shape.  Thus,  while  a 
well-conditioned  salmon  twenty-five  inches  in  length 
will  exceed  six  pounds  in  weight,  a  ouananiche  of  the 
same  length,  taken  from  rapid  water,  will  weigh  little 
more  than  five  pounds.  Its  fins  are  larger  and  stronger 
than  those  of  the  Salnio  salar,  to  enable  it  to  do  more 
effective  battle  with  its  foes  in  the  heavy  rapids  in 
Avhich  it  is  found.  Its  tail  is  unusually  broad  and 
affords  it  a  wonderful  leverage,  the  caudal  fin  of  a  six- 
pound  specimen  having  shown  a  spread  of  eight  and  a 
half  inches.  The  eye  of  the  ouananiche  is  much  larger 
than  that  of  the  ordinary  salmon,  the  St.  Andrew's 
cross  marks  upon  the  sides  are  closer  together,  and 
there  are  larger  and  more  distinct  black  spots  upon  the 
gill-covers,  in  shape  both  round  and  irregular. 

Mr.  J.  G.  Aylwin  Creighton,  of  Ottawa,  in  his  mono- 
graph of  the  fish  in  Shields's  Ainerlcan  Game  Fishes, 
has  furnished  one  of  the  most  complete  anatomical 
descriptions  of  the  ouananiche  yet  published.  I  have 
verified  it  in  almost  every  particular,  and  take  pleasure 
in  quoting  the  following  extracts : 

"The  preoperculum,  or  small  bone  at  the  back  of  the  gill-cover, 
has  the  rounded  corner  characteristic  of  the  salmon.  The  system  of 
dentition  in  the  wananishe  is  precisely  that  of  Salmo  salar,  but  the 
teeth  are  larger  and  more  numerous  on  the  vomer  and  palatines. 
This  is  probably  a  case  of  specific  adaptation,  as  the  wauanishe 


IIAIJITS   OF   THE   OUANANICJTE  31 

lives  much  on  smull  fish,  and,  unlike  the  sea-siihnon  when  the  latter 
is  in  fresh  water,  is  continually  feeding.  In  some  specimens  I  have 
found  a  few  teeth  on  tlie  liyoid  bone,  tlioui^h  .Icmlan  and  C}ill)ert 
{Si/iwpxiH  of  the  Fixhcs  of  North  America,  1882,  p.  1311),  following 
Guntlier,  give  tlie  absence  of  hyoid  teeth  as  n  cliaracteristlc  of 
the  genus  fyilar.  The  number  of  spinal  vertebrae  is  59-00  ;  of  an- 
ad  appendages  I  have  counted  from  50  to  00  in  dilTercnt  spociniens. 

"  Tliere  are  130  rows  of  scales  along  the  lateral  line,  11-12  in  a  line 
from  tlie  edge  of  the  adipose  fin  to  the  lateral  line,  which,  if  con- 
tinued, would  pass  just  above  the  pupil  of  the  eye,  and  is  well 
marked. 

"  The  fins  are  proportionately  much  larger  than  in  the  sea-salmon, 
especially  the  tail,  which  is  deeply  forked  in  the  young  lisli,  but 
only  slightly  lunate  in  large  adults.  In  a  five-pound  specimen  it 
will  have  a  spread  of  seven  or  eight  inches  ;  in  a  three-pound  fish, 
six  inches.  The  dorsal  is  high  and  broad,  the  pectorals  long.  The 
adipose  fin  is  unusually  large. 

"  The  eye  is  remarkably  large,  about  three-quarters  of  an  inch  in 
diameter  in  the  adult,  with  a  pupil  a  quarter  of  an  inch  in  diameter. 
These  measurements  are  mucli  greater  than  in  the  sea-salmon  of 
fifteen  to  twenty  pounds'  weight.  In  the  young  fish  the  back  is  of 
a  bluish-olive  when  just  out  of  water,  turning  into  a  silvcrish  steely 
blue,  which  changes  to  silver  below  the  medial  line.  Thebellj'  is  pure 
white.  Tlie  back  is  thickly  maculated  with  black  oval  spots,  not 
verraiculated,  as  in  trout.  On  specimens  under  a  half-pound  there 
are  no  X  marks  on  the  sides,  but  seven  small,  round,  bright-scarlet 
spots,  evenly  spaced  along  the  medial  line,  with  an  additional  one 
just  above  the  pectoral  fin.  The  dark-blue  parr-bandings  are  eight 
in  number,  and  about  three-eighths  of  an  inch  wide  ;  the  head  is 
deep  bluish  green,  inclining  to  black ;  the  gill-covers  silver,  with 
olive  and  green  shading.  Upon  the  operculum  are  two  or  three  ir- 
regular, dusky  olive,  purple,  and  green  patches,  and  two  or  three 
deep  black,  perfectly  circular  spots  of  small  size.  The  throat  and 
branchiostegals  are  white,  shaded  with  dusky  gray,  inclining  to 
lead -color.  There  are  some  blackish  spots  along  the  base  of  the 
dorsal,  but  none  on  the  tail.     The  adipose  fin  is  blackish-blue. 

"  In  tiie  fresh-run  adult  the  color  runs  from  deep  black  on  the 
back,  through  bluish  green  on  the  sides,  to  silver  green  at  the  medial 
line,  and  silvery  white  below  that.    Wlien  the  fish  is  just  out  of  the 


23  DESCRIPTION,  CLASSIFICATION,  AND 

water  Ihc  body-color  is  very  irldoscfiit,  showing  green  and  purple 
bronze  with  a  lint  of  rose.  The  oval  spots  on  the  back  are  so  black 
and  run  so  closely  together  as  to  be  hardly  distinguishable  when  the 
fish  has  been  a  short  time  out  of  water,  but  in.  the  living  fish,  ob- 
served under  water  in  a  good  light,  they  show  plainly  \ipon  the 
olive  ground-color.  The  head  is  deep  black  on  top.  The  ground- 
color of  the  gill  covers  is  a  deep-green  bronze,  with  patches  of  dark 
purple  and  greenish  and  blackish  bronze  on  the  operculum,  which 
has  also  three  or  four  circular  black  spots  of  varying  sizes,  and 
generally  one  large  irregular-shaped  black  spot  on  it.  The  lower 
jaw  and  throat,  to  the  gill,  are  of  a  leaden  gray  in  fine  dots,  thickly 
spread  on  a  white  ground.  Adults  are  all  marked  on  the  body  with 
black  spots,  cither  irregular  quadrilaterals  or  double  X's,  not  the 
single  X  of  the  Atlantic  salmon.  These  spots  do  not  come  much 
below  the  medial  line,  and  vary  a  great  deal  in  number  and  size  in 
individuals.  They  do  not  show  on  the  gill-covers,  tail,  or  dorsal 
flu,  but  the  latter  is  usually  thickly  covered  with  circular  black 
spots. 

"The  coloring  varies  somewhat  with  locality,  age,  and  season,  but 
there  is  no  marked  diirerence  of  it  in  the  se.xes,  except  at  breeding- 
time,  when  the  male,  as  in  other  Salmonidit',  is  much  brighter  lined. 
Ill  neither  sex,  however,  is  the  change  so  great  as  in  ISidino  miUi)'. 
The  body-color  becomes  yellow  or  reddish,  the  white  dirty,  and  the 
spots  turn  to  rusty  imrpli.sh  brown.  The  hooked  lower  jaw,  loss  of 
condition,  poor  quality  of  flesh,  indisposition  to  feed,  and  sluggish- 
ness of  tempenmu'iit,  that  characterize  the  spawning  salmon,  are 
well  marked  in  the  waiiani.she." 

The  graceful  proportions  and  sj)lcn(lid  condition  of 
the  adult  ouiinaniclie,  f(Htnd  in  rji})id  water  in  the 
spring  of  the  year,  are  not  more  remarkable  than  the 
beauty  of  its  coloring.  "  Clothed,  indeed,  in  purple  and 
finest  silver,  it  undoubtedly  fares  sumjituously  every 
day.  In  its  various  hues  it  reflects  every  shade  of  its 
natural  surroundings,  from  the  indigo-colored  storm- 
clouds  to  the  rose  tints  of  the  setting  sun,  from  the 
purple   haze  over  the  distant  hills  to  the  pale-greea 


HABITS    OF   THE    OUANANICHE  »» 

foliage  of  the  bursting  buds,  from  the  darkest  views 
of  the  deepest  holes  that  it  fi'equents — the  olive  and 
bronze  of  the  floating  Avater  weeds  and  the  gray  of 
the  surrounding  rocks,  to  the  silver  sheen  of  the  moon- 
beams, the  white-topped  rapids,  and  foam-flecked,  eddy- 
ing pools. 

Mr.  Charles  Ilallcck's  dv^scription  of  a  five -pound 
ouananiche  —  a  July  iish,  which  appeared  in  the 
American  AiigJer  oi  July,  18S9 — is  as  follows  :  "  His 
belly  was  silvery  white,  sides  gray,  and  back  black 
as  ink.  He  had  round  black  spots  on  his  gills,  XX 
marks  on  his  sides  and  shoulders,  and  a  combination 
of  both  on  his  body.  Head,  1  to  G  in  proportion 
to  length  of  body ;  dorsal  fin,  13  ;  ventral,  9 ;  anal, 
9  ;  pectoral,  15  ;  caudal,  21.'' 

The  unreliability  of  considering  alone  the  number 
of  fin-rays  in  the  determination  oi  species  is  well  il- 
lustrated in  the  case  of  the  ouananiche.  In  his  J-'lsh- 
ing  Touristy  ]uiblished  in  1873,  Mr.  Ilallock,  at  page 
179,  gives  the  number  of  rays  in  the  first  dorsal  fin 
of  both  ouananiche  and  landlocked  salmon  as  17. 
This  is  probably,  however,  a  mistake,  the  usual  num- 
ber being  13,  as  given  by  him  in  1889,  though  Mr. 
Creighton  gives  12  to  the  Lake  St.  John  fish  and  11 
to  its  congener  of  Labrador.  The  author  has  counted 
12  rays  in  the  dorsal  of  a  skin  brought  to  him  by 
Mr.  A.  P.  Low  from  the  Hamilton  liiver,  in  the  in- 
terior  of  Labrador,  and  13-14  in  the  Lake  St.  John 
fish  examined  by  him ;  the  other  fins  usually  giving 
him :  pectoral,  13-11: ;  ventral,  9 ;  anal,  10  ;  caudal,  2L 
Mr.  Creighton  found :  pectoral,  14 ;  ventral,  9 ;  anal, 
9-10 ;  caudal  not  given. 


24  DESCRIPTION,  CLASSIFICATION,  AND 

Professor  Garman  has  been  good  enough  to  supply 
me  with  the  result  of  his  examination  of  seventeen 
specimens  of  the  ouananiche,  of  which  three  Avere 
Canadian  and  the  remaining  fourteen  American. 
Here  it  is : 

Dorsal.  Anal. 

Lake  St.  John 13  11 

14  11 

14  11 

Lake  Scbago,  M(! 13  11 

Gnuul  Lake  Stream,   Me 14  11 

Grand  Lake,  Me 13  11 

" 13  11 

Milltowii,  Me 13  10 

" 14  11 

" 15  11 

Scliondic  Lakes 13  11 

"     13  11 

"     13  11 

"     14  11 

"     13  11 

'«  "     13 

"  "    15  U 

It  should  be  explained  that  the  short  rays  at  the 
front  of  each  lin  are  included.  The  split  ray,  the 
hindmost  of  the  lin,  counts  as  a  single  one.  The 
professor  remarks,  and  what  he  says  is  authoritative  : 
"  Unless  you  have  a  number  of  specimens  that  give 
an  average  lower  than  that  of  ordinary  Salmo  salar, 
variation  of  a  single  ray  in  a  specimen  means  but 
little.  Variations  of  a  ray  or  two,  more  or  less,  may 
be  expected  on  individuals  from  any  localit}'."  Jor- 
dan and  Gilbert  give  the  Salmo  salar:  dorsal,  11; 
anal,  !>. 


HABITS   OF   THE   OUANANICHE  2o 

Those  who  have  had  opportunities  for  observation, 
and  the  necessary  knowledge  for  even  the  most  ele- 
mentary comparative  study  of  the  ouananiche,  need 
no  other  autliority  for  the  statement  that  it  is  a  per- 
fect salmon  of  the  well-known  Salmo  salar  variety. 
But  so  much  absurd  imagination  has  been  indulged 
in  respecting  the  fisli  by  many  who  have  never  seen 
it,  and  so  much  arrant  nonsense  written  by  others, 
who  having  seen  it  have  contented  themselves  with 
wild  speculation  rather  than  careful  observation,  that 
it  was  deemed  advisable  to  have  an  unassailable  ])ro- 
nounceraent  from  undoubted  authority  upon  the  cor- 
rect classification  of  the  fish.  And  so  it  came  about 
that  in  the  autumn  of  1893  I  forwarded  fresh  speci- 
mens of  the  Lake  St.  John  ouananiche  for  identiiica- 
tiOii  to  Professor  Samuel  (iarman,  of  the  Museum  of 
Comparative  Zoology,  at  Cambridge,  Mass.,  who  gives 
the  result  of  his  exivmination  of  them  in  the  follow- 
ing interesting  letter: 

"j\Iy  dk.vu  Siu, — Aflor  a  cousidonible  but  uniivoiihible  dcla}', 
which  it  is  hoped  you  will  kindly  pardon,  your  fisiies  are  talicn  in 
hand.  They  arrived  in  good  condition,  some  of  tlie  ice  remaining-. 
As  you  suggested,  a  couple  of  tests  were  prepared  in  the  kitchen. 
Whether  it  was  boiled  and  eaten  Avitli  sauce  or  broiled,  all  present 
at  the  table  concurred  in  the  opinion  that  the  Lake  St.  John  ouana- 
niche was  delicious.  The  tlesh  was  not  so  fat  or  so  red  as  that  of 
the  iSiiliiio  Kdhtr  we  are  used  to  having  from  the  sea.  Less  of  the 
oiliness  was,  to  my  own  taste,  rather  in  its  favor.  The  deeper  pink 
of  the  meat  and  the  difference  in  flavor  and  in  fatness  of  the  marine 
specimens  is  due  to  the  difference  in  the  food  supplies. 

"  Now  in  regard  to  specific  identity  :  I  see  nothing  by  which  to 
distinguish  the  fish  of  Lake  St.  John  from  )S<tlinos<il<irns  represented 
by  specimens  from  New  Bnuiswick  and  Maine,  or  other  New  Eng- 
land Slates.     It  may  prevent  misumlcrstanding  if  it  is  explained 


26  DESCKIPTION,  CLASSIFICATION,  AND 

that  I  take  the  fresh-water  individuals,  including,  of  course,  those 
trulj'  ];iiul locked  as  commonly  designated,  to  be  the  better  repre- 
sentiitives  of  the  species  S.  salar.  As  you  are  well  aware,  no  dis- 
tinctions are  made  between  young  born  of  parents  that  have  returned 
from  the  sea  and  those  of  others  which  have  never  been  there.  I'rop- 
agatlon  takes  place,  so  far  as  now  known,  only  in  the  fresh  waters, 
and  the  fact  that  some  individuals  leave  them  for  a  time,  becoming 
somewhat  modified  by  so  doing,  neither  gives  rise  to  a  different 
species  nor  even  a  dilTerent  variety.  The  change  is  simply  varia- 
tion of  an  individual,  which  variation  is  not  at  all  a  necessity  for 
the  continued  existence  of  the  species. 

******** 
"  Believe  me,  gratefully  yours, 

"Sasiuel  Gaiiman." 

Those  writers  who,  having"  httle  regard  ^dv  tiie 
anatomy  of  the  fish,  have  claimed  for  the  ouananiche 
the  honor  of  a  distinct  variety  from  the  ordinary 
Salmo  salar,  base  the  chtim  upon  its  apparent  want 
of  anadromy  and  its  smaller  size.  So  "  Piscator,"  in 
T/ie  Complete  Angler,  the  same  who  amuses  us  by 
the  statement  that  pike  are  bred  of  pickerel-weed,  is 
made  to  say  of  a  su])})osed  large  trout :  "Whether  this 
were  a  salmon  when  he  came  into  the  fresh  water, 
and  his  not  returning  into  the  sea  hath  altered  him 
to  another  color  or  kind  I  am  not  able  to  say."  And 
many  modern  Waltons  lind  no  dililculty  in  deciding 
that  different  habits  alone  constitute  a  different  va- 
riety. Garman  is  exceedingly  clear  upon  the  point 
that  no  new  variety  is  given  rise  to  by  the  fact  that 
some  individuals  leave  for  a  time  the  fresh  water 
in  Avhicli  they  are  propagated,  "  becoming  somewhat 
modified  bv  so  doing."  The  "modified"  individuals 
herein  referred  to  being  the  familiar  Atlantic  salmon, 
and  the   further  statement   flowing   from  Professor 


HABITS    OF    THE    OUANANICIIE  2i 

Garman  that  he  "  takes  the  fresh  -  water  individuals, 
inchiding  of  course  those  truly  landlocked,  as  com- 
monly designated,  to  be  the  better  representatives  of 
the  species  Salmo  salar,'^  the  famous  American  zoologist 
may  fairly  be  classed  as  a  member  of  the  lai'ge  and 
influential  school  of  ichthvolos'ists  that  regards  the 
Atlantic  salmon  as  originally  but  a  fresh -water  fish, 
which  has  acquired  the  habit  of  wandering  from  the 
crystal  Eden  in  which  it  was  created,  into  the  salt 
wilderness  of  the  sea,  by  its  acquisition  of  a  taste  for 
the  fleshpots  of  the  briny  deep.  In  the  sea  its  in- 
creased voracity  linds  extended  opportunities  of  in- 
dulgence, and  the  unlimited  food  sup])ly  tends  to  its 
rapid  development  in  size.  The  authorities  who 
hold  to  the  theory  that  salmon  were,  from  the  be- 
ginning, residents  of  the  sea,  that  simply  ascend  to 
fresh  water  to  spawn,  claim  that  the  smaller  individ- 
uals constantly  found  in  inland  or  landlocked  waters 
are  a  deteriorated  variety,  consequent  upon  a  change 
of  habitat  and  diminished  food  su})ply.  The  difference 
in  size  between  adult  specimens  of  the  salmon  fresh 
from  the  sea  and  those  of  the  ouananiche  may  of 
course  be  made  to  fit  either  of  the  above  theories. 

Xo  argument  against  the  identity  of  the  ouananiche 
with  tlu;  Salmo  solar  can  be  reasonably  based  upon 
disparity  in  size,  for  no  more  natural  result  than  ar- 
rested development  or  a  dwarfing  of  the  variety  could 
follow  its  subjection  to  unfavorable  conditions.  We 
have  an  instance  of  this  in  the  alewives  of  Lake 
Ontario,  introduced  there,  as  already  stated,  in  1873. 
On  the  Atlantic  coast,  the  average  length  of  this 
species  is  eleven  to  twelve  inches,  but  in  Lake  Ontario 


28  DESCRIPTION,   CLASSIFICATION,  AND 

no  individuals  of  sucli  largo  size  are  seen,  and  the 
average  length  is  very  much  less.  Dr.  Hugh  M.  Smith 
sa^'^s  that  of  several  thousand  specimens  examined  by 
him  from  this  lake  in  ISOl  none  were  found  to  be 
over  seven  inches  long,  and  tlie  average  was  less  than 
six  inclies.  He  adds  :  "  This  stunting  of  growth,  which 
is  said  to  be  gradually  becoming  more  marked,  has  no 
doubt  been  produced  by  the  unnatural  conditions  to 
which  the  fish  are  subjected.  Tlie  extent  to  which  this 
dwarfing  has  gone  may  be  readily  judged  when  it  is 
stated  that  fisli  only  four  or  five  inches  long  have 
been  caught  with  ripe  spawn."*  That  the  fresh- 
water salmon  of  the  Lake  St.  John  country  rarely 
attains  to  more  than  one -fourth  or  one -fifth  of  the 
size  of  the  salmon  that  go  down  from  neighboring 
waters  to  the  sea  need  excite  no  surprise,  in  view  of 
the  well-established  fact  that  under  conditions  unfa- 
vorable to  continued  development  the  alewife  of  Lake 
Ontario  has  in  less  than  twenty  years  become  dwarfed 
to  one-half  its  former  size. 

Anglers  have  gone  to  Lake  St.  John  for  ouananiche 
who  had  fished  for  its  American  congener  in  ]\Iaine, 
where  it  is  popularly  termed  landlocked  salmon.  Be- 
cause of  the  difference  in  the  sport  of  catching  the 
two  fish  they  could  scarcely  be  persuaded  that  there 
was  no  varietal  distinction  between  them.  While  the 
fresh -water  salmon  of  Maine  is  largely  a  bottom 
feeder,  save  in  the  spring  of  the  year,  when  the  water 
that  it  inhabits  is  still  cold,  its  Lake  St.  John  kinsman 

*  "  Report  on  an  Investigation  of  tlio  Fisliories  of  Luke  Ontario," 
bj'  Hugh  M.  Smith,  M.D.,  iu  llie  Bulletin  of  the  U.  8.  Fish  Commis- 
sion, vol.  X.,  p.  188. 


HABITS   OF   THE   OUANANICIIE  29 

rises  to  the  fly,  more  or  less,  all  the  snrnmer  through. 
It  is  also  true  that  the  Maine  fish  grows  to  a  much 
larger  size  than  the  ouananiche  of  Canada ;  but  it  is 
a  ouananiche  all  the  same.  "  The  '  landlocked  salmon ' 
of  the  Game  Law,"  says  the  1896  Keport  of  the  New 
York  Fish  and  Game  Commission,  "  is  no  other  than 
the  sea-salmon  with  a  fresh-water  habitat." 

And  Mr.  A.  N.  Cliene}"-,  the  present  State  Fish  Cult- 
urist  of  New  York,  wrote  some  time  ago  in  Forest  and 
Stream : 

"Whc'tlier  they  are  culletl  landlocked  siilmoii  in  the  United 
States,  or  ouiinaiiiche  in  Canada,  tliey  are  not  a  variety,  bnt  the 
species  itself.  They  are  not  landlocked  salmon,  for  wherever 
found  they  can  go  to  sea  if  the}'  have  the  desire,  as  the  way  is 
open,  and  in  all  probability  they  were  called  ouananiche  before 
they  were  called  landlocked  salmon.  We  really  need  but  one 
common  name  for  a  single  species  of  fish,  as  a  rule  ;  but  to  distin- 
guish the  salmon  that  go  to  sea  from  those  that  remain  in  fresh 
water  it  is  necessary  to  have  two,  and  which  is  the  best  for  the 
fresh-water  fish,  ouananiche  or  landlocked  salmon  ?  And  which 
holds  the  age  ?  I  voted  for  ouananiche,  no  matter  where  the  fish 
is  found,  and  so  used  the  word.  "Trout"  sufficiently  describes 
fontinnlis  whether  the  fish  is  two  ounces  in  weight  in  Pike  County, 
Pennsylvania,  eight  pounds  in  weight  in  the  Batiscan,  in  Canada, 
or  twelve  pounds  in  weiglit  in  Mooselucmaguntic  Lake,  in  Maine. 
Tlie  big-moutli  black  bass  is  not  to  be  envied  because  it  is  an 
Oswego  bass  in  New  York,  a  chub  in  Virginia,  and  a  trout  iu 
Florida. 

"  If  there  is  danger  of  international  complications  arising  over  this 
name  we  could  say  the  ouananiche  of  Canada  and  the  ouananiche 
of  the  United  States,  to  separate  one  from  the  other.  AVhen  the 
country  is  in  a  depressed  state  and  economy  is  in  order,  it  is  a  good 
time  to  reduce  the  number  of  common  names  of  some  of  our  fishes 
that  lead  only  to  confusion  and  bad  language  on  the  part  of  some 
of  our  fishermen,  as  for  instance  when  they  find  that  a  pike-perch 
may  be,  according  to  the  waters  iu  which  it  resides,  a  dory  or  a 


30  DESCRIPTION,  CLASSIFICATION,  AND 

(lore  ;  a  yellow  pike  or  a  green  pike  ;  a  wall-eyed  pike  or  a  glass- 
eye  ;  a  liornfisli  or  okaw  ;  a  jick-salmon  or  a  plain  salmon. 

"Unless  served  with  an  injunction,  I  wish  hereafter  to  write  of 
the  fresh-water  salmon,  whenever  I  liave  occasion  to  do  so,  as  the 
ouananiche,  no  matter  in  what  waters  it  may  be  found." 

The  publication  in  recent  years  of  a  mass  of  er- 
roneous information,  not  only  in  regard  to  the  iden- 
tity, the  origin,  and  the  habits  of  the  ouananiche,  but 
also  as  respects  its  name,  the  alleged  diiiiculty  of  its 
capture,  and  its  geographical  distribution  is  no  doubt 
largely  due  to  the  enthusiasm  of  anglers,  to  whom  its 
game  qualities  were  a  revelation  and  itself  a  new  va- 
riet3\  In  their  ardor  they  never  stopped  to  inquire 
Avhether,  and  to  what  extent,  it  had  been  known  to 
others,  thus  recalling  the  observation  placed  in  the 
mouth  of  Ilalieus,  in  Sir  Ilumphrv  Davy's  Salmonia: 
"  "When  we  are  ardent,  we  are  bad  judges  of  tlie  effort 
we  make;  and  an  angler,  who  could  be  cool  with  a 
new  species  of  Salmo,  I  should  not  envy." 

Dr.  Henry  Tan  Dyke,  in  his  paper  on  "Trout-fish- 
ing m  the  Traun,"  reprinted  in  Little  lilrers,  de- 
scribes the  lachs-forclle,  or  trout  of  Lake  Griindlsee, 
as  a  fish  not  unlike  the  landlocked  salmon  of  the 
Saguenay.  He  speaks  of  it  as  having  silver  sides 
mottled  with  dark  spots,  a  square,  powerful  tail,  and 
large  fins. 

Not  very  long  ago  a  suggestion  that  the  fish  found 
in  a  lake  near  the  cascades  of  the  Columbia,  on  the 
Pacific  coast,  were  nearly  akin  to  the  ouananiche,  ap- 
peared in  one  of  the  sportsmen's  papers.  As  the 
Salmo  salar  is  unknown  to  the  waters  of  that  coast, 
the  fish  referred  to  cannot  possibly  be  the  ouananiche. 


IIATHTS   OF   THE   OUANANICIIE  31 

unless,  as  is  most  improbable,  it  has  been  transplant- 
ed there. 

The  existence  of  fresh -water  specimens  of  the  At- 
lantic salmon  in  certain  lakes  of  Sweden  has  been 
known  for  upwards  of  thirty  years ;  and  more  than  a 
quarter  of  a  century  ago,  the  ouananiche  of  a  chain  of 
New  Brunswick  lakes,  emptied  by  the  St.  Croix,  were 
described  in  Steivarfs  Quarterly  by  J.  Harry  Yenning 
over  the  nom-de-plumc  of  "An  Old  Angler."  Their 
identity,  however,  had  not  at  that  time  been  estab- 
lished, and  Mr.  Yenning,  who  was  a  delightful  wi'itor 
upon  all  subjects  connected  with  lield  s])orts,  a\  as  at  a 
loss  whether  to  classify  the  fish  as  a  distinct  species 
from  Salmo  salar,  or  as  a  merely  degenerated  progeny, 
by  some  means  imprisoned  in  the  lakes  and  debarred 
from  access  to  the  ocean.  He  admitted  that  so  many 
difficulties  opposed  the  latter  theory  that  he  Avas 
mclined  to  adopt  the  former,  and  to  consider  these 
lake  fish  as  a  distinct  species  peculiar  to  St.  Croix 
waters,  or  not  vet  observed  in  others. 

Comparative  examination  would  have  proved  the 
identity  of  these  fish  with  the  salmon  from  the  sea. 
But  then,  as  now,  most  men  preferred  to  judge  fish 
by  their  size,  their  habits,  or  their  habitat,  rather  than 
by  their  structural  resemblance  or  differences.  And 
it  had  not  probably  occurred  to  investigators,  ft  that 
time,  to  account  for  the  existence  of  salmon,  the  whole 
year  round,  in  fresh  water  having  uninterrupted  com- 
munication with  the  sea  by  any  other  supposition 
than  that  of  distinct  variety,  and  least  of  all  by  the 
theory  that  the  salmon  Avas  originally  a  fresh-water 
fish,  only  some  specimens  of  which  had  acquired  the 


*J3  DESCRIPTION,  CLASSIFICATION,   AND 

habit  of  anadroiny.  So  universal  was  the  belief  that 
it  was  mainly  a  sea  fish,  whose  presence  in  fresh  water 
was  only  for  the  re])rotluction  of  its  species ! 

Ev(ni  as  late  as  1883,  so  excellent  an  authority  upon 
the  salmon  as  Mr.  Charles  G.  Atkins,  of  Maine,  was  ap- 
parently of  the  belief  that  the  migratory  fish  was  the 
normal  type  of  Sal/no  salar.  He  strenuously,  however, 
upheld  the  fact  that  there  are  no  specific  differences 
between  S.  salar  and  the  salmon  of  the  Schoodic 
Lakes,  as  the  following  extracts  will  show,  taken  from 
a  paper  prepared  by  him  for  the  London  Exhibition 
of  1883,  at  the  request  of  Professor  S.  F.  Baird : 

"  The  salmon  of  tlie  Schoodic  Lakes  belongs  to  the  group  termed 
liindlocked  salmon,  whose  distinguishing  trait  is  the  absence  of 
tiie  habit  of  mign'tiiig  to  the  sea.  It  has  been  regarded  by  natu- 
ralists until  recently  as  a  distinct  species  from  the  sea-going  salmon 
iSalino  salar),  but  the  most  recent  researches  of  American  ichthyolo- 
gists have  led  to  the  conclusion  that  there  arc  no  specific  differences 
between  the  two. 

"Doubtless  the  absence  of  the  migratory  instinct  is  at  the  bottom 
of  most  of  the  variations  from  the  normal  type  of  iSrt^wosa?^<j"  which 
the  landlocked  salmon  exhibits.  The  lakes  afford  a  far  poorer 
feeding-groimd  than  the  sea;  hence,  perhaps,  the  diminutive  size 
and  leaner  flesh  of  the  landlocked  salmon.  Its  lower  tone  of  color, 
less  permanent  sexual  marks,  and  gieater  liability  to  ovarian 
disease,  as  well  as  different  habits  of  feeding,  may  perhaps  be 
referable  to  the  same  general  causes.  There  are  some  other  pecu- 
liarities which  are  not  so  easily  explained.  For  instance,  the  eggs 
of  the  landlocked  salmon  are  very  considerably  larger  than  those 
of  the  sea-salmon,  and  the  same  is  true  of  the  very  young  fry. 

"^ly  observations  on  the  young  of  the  Sebago  landlocked  salmon 
lead  me  to  think  that  their  growth  is  more  rapid  than  that  of  the 
anadromous  salmon,  for,  among  other  things,  I  have  seen  specimens 
more  than  a  foot  long  still  bearing  plainly  on  their  sides  dark, 
transverse  bands  characteristic  of  j'ouug  salmon.  But  this  may  be 
explained  in  another  way.     It  may  be  that  the  landlocked  fish  sim- 


HABITS    OF   THE   OUAXANICIIE  88 

pi}'  rt'tain  tlic  marks  of  the  immattire  stagosto  a  later  period  of  life. 
This  view  is  supported  by  another  faet  tiiat  I  have  observed — 
name!}',  that  tlic  dark  bands  are  never  conii)leteIy  obliterated  from 
the  sides  of  the  landlocked  salmon,  being'  always  very  distinct, 
even  in  adult  specimens,  on  the  uuder-side  of  the  skin,  a  phenome- 
non whi(,'h  I  have  sought  for  in  vain  among  tiie  migratory  salmon. 

"Tile  landlocked  salmon,  though  smaller  and  leaner  than  his 
anadromous  Ijrother,  is  yet  not  a  poor  fish.  Ilis  llesh  is  fat  and 
rich,  and  of  a  more  delicate  flavor.  In  game  qualities  he  is,  for 
his  size,  (piilethe  peer  of  the  larger  salmon,  and  alTords  keen  sport 
to  the  tly-lisherman.  lie  is,  iherefore,  much  .sought  after,  taking, 
pcrhai)s,  in  public  favor,  the  lead  of  all  fresh-water  species. 

"The  natural  range  of  the  landlocked  salmon  in  the  United 
States  is  very  much  restricted.  Leaving  out  of  the  question  the 
salmon  formerly  frequenting  the  rivers  tributary  to  the  great  lakes, 
Outario,  and  C'hamplain,  the  extent  of  whose  migration  is  a  matter 
of  doubt,  we  find  them  only  in  four  limited  districts,  all  in  the  State 
of  Maine — namely,  the  Presumpscot  River,  in  Cumberland  and  Ox- 
ford Counties;  the  Sebec  (a  tributary  of  the  Penobscot),  in  Piscat- 
aquis County ;  the  Union  River,  in  Ilaueoek  County ;  and  the  St. 
Croix,  in  Washington  County.  There  are  some  minor  differences 
between  the  tish  of  these  several  districts,  of  which,  perhaps,  that 
of  size  is  most  notable.  The  Sebago  and  Union  River  tish  are 
much  larger  on  the  average  than  those  of  the  Sebec  and  St.  Croix. 
The  Sebago  salmon  average  at  the  spawning-season  4  to  5  pounds' 
■weight  for  the  males  and  a  pound  less  for  the  females,  while 
specimens  of  12  and  14  pounds'  weight  are  not  rare,  and  there  is 
even  on  record  one  of  17i  pounds.  The  Union  River  tish  are  about 
the  same  size.  The  St.  Croix  fish  vary  in  the  matter  of  weight  in 
different  parts  of  their  range,  but  the  average  vreight  of  either  sex 
at  Grand  Lake  Stream  is  a  little  less  than  3  pounds.  Specimens  of 
over  G  pounds  are  rare,  and  none  is  on  record  of  over  10  pounds." 

It  is  proper  to  remark  that  since  the  paper  from 
which  the  above  extracts  are  taken  was  written,  the 
distribution  of  the  ouananiche  in  the  United  States 
has  been  largely  extended,  by  the  planting  of  the  fish 
in  waters  of  Kew  York  and  New  Hampshire. 

3 


34  DESCKIl'TION,   CLASSIFICATION,  AND 

The  fact  noted  by  Mr.  Atkins,  tliat  tlie  oggs  of  the 
fresh-water  salmon  are  much  hirg(>r  than  those  of  the 
sea-sahnon,  attracted  my  notice  some  years  a<:^(\  and  I 
liavo endeavored. but  nnsnccossfully, to  establish  area- 
son  therefor.  Professor  Ramsay  Wriglit,  of  the  Bio- 
logical l)ei)artment  of  the  University  of  Toronto,  to 
whose  notice  I  brought  the  matter,  suggested  that,  in 
some  eases,  the  larger  size  of  the  ef!;^};  probabh'  means 
delayed  hatching  from  climatic  conditions. 

It  is  strange  that  this  difference  has  not  been  seized 
upon  as  an  argument  against  the  identity  of  the  sal- 
mon and  the  ouananicho,  so  absurd  have  been  most 
of  the  reasons  in  support  of  such  contention  by  those 
who  uphold  it. 

Of  the  attempts  that  have  been  made  to  introduce 
the  ouananiche  into  English  waters,  some,  at  least, 
have  proved  unsuccessfid.  V.  A.  W.  Whitmore,  writ- 
ing in  the  London  I'u'ld  of  November  23, 1895,  on  the 
y)roposal  to  plant  so-called  landlocked  salnK)n-fry  in 
the  upper  portions  of  the  Severn,  recalls  the  fact  that 
three  years  previously,  the  liev.  II.  I>.  W.  Whitmore 
obtained  a  quantity  of  ova  from  the  United  States, 
successfully  hatched  nearly  all  the  eggs,  and  turned 
out  the  fry  into  the  highest  of  five  large  pools,  of 
which  the  overflow  is  into  the  Severn.  AVhen  the 
water  was  drained  off  in  a  subsecpient  season  only 
one  of  the  iisli  was  found,  the  others,  in  the  opinion 
of  the  writer,  having  gone  to  the  sea  as  samlets. 
"If  he  can  follow  his  instincts,"  continues  Mr.  AVhit- 
more,  in  speaking  of  the  ouananiche,  "he  is  not 
disposed   to   abide   in   one  place,  and  will,  I   think, 


HABITS   OF   TlIK    OUANANICHE  35 

prove  to  1)0  as  migratory  a  fisli  as  the  salmon,  liis 
ancestor." 

The  lial)its  of  the  Canadian  ouananiche,  wiiieli  has 
always  unobstructed  access  to  the  sea,  disprove  the 
conclusions  at  which  the  above  writer  has  arrived. 
Because  the  salmon  of  the  sea  is  not  and  could  not 
have  been  its  ancestor,  but  is  rather  its  wayward  child, 
migration  is  not  among  the  instincts  of  the  ouana- 
niche, except  under  unnatural  conditions,  such  as  we 
presume  it  must  have  found  itself  surrounded  bv  in 
the  English  waters  from  which  it  so  ])romj>tly  disap- 
])eared.  Its  environment  was  undoubtedly  at  fault, 
and  something  was  evidently  wanting  in  the  necessary 
conditions  of  either  the  lake  and  river  bed,  the  teni- 
])erature  of  the  water,  or  the  character  and  extent  of 
the  food  supply. 


part  trir 


PHILOLOGY  OF  THE   OUAi\ANICHE 


PHILOLOGY  OF  THE  OUANANICHE  * 


The  Indian  origin  of  the  name  of  the  fish  was  re- 
ferred to  in  tlie  opening  cliapter  of  the  book.  The 
well-known  Montagnais  missionary,  Father  Arnaud, 
of  the  Oblats,  one  of  the  best  living  authorities  on  the 
Indian  dialects  spoken  in  the  land  of  the  ouananiche, 
traces  the  word  back  to  the  same  aboriginal  dialect  as 
the  nam9s  "  Canada,"  "  Quebec,"  "  Stadacona."  '•'■Kan- 
atats!  KanatatsP''  —  according  to  Father  Arnaud, 
"  They  are  strangers,"  or  ''  Who  are  the}'^  C — exclaimed 
the  aboriginal  inhabitants  of  what  is  now  Quebec  when 
they  caught  sight  of  the  first  European  arrivals  in  the 
St.  Lawrence ;  and  "  Kanata,"  or  "'  Canada,"  was  thus 
understood  by  the  new-comers  to  be  the  name  of  the 
country,  and  was  so  applied.  The  India  '  next  ex- 
clamation was,  '■^Kcjyek  !  Kepek  .^"  (''  Disembark !"  or 
''  Come  ashore !"),  and  being  mistaken  by  the  French- 
men for  the  name  of  the  promontory  behind  the  na- 
tives, upon  which  the  upper  town  of  Quebec  is  now 

*Mucli  of  the  contents  of  this  chapter  liiis  been  drawn  from  the 
author's  paper  entitled  "The  Philokigy  of  tlie  Ouananiche — A  Plea 
for  the  Recognition  of  Priority  in  Nomenclature,"  read  for  him 
by  George  Stewart,  L.D.,  LL.D.,  D.C.L.,  F.RG.S.,  F.R.S.C,  be- 
fore the  Royal  Society  of  Canada,  in  May,  18i)-l. 


40  rniLOLOGY   OF   THE   OUANANICIIE 

built,  or  of  the  Indian  settlement  close  by,  *•  Kcpec," 
or  "  Quebec,"  it  has  remained  ever  since,  though  its 
]\Iontag'nais  name  was  and  is  still  Opishtikoiat,  or 
Ouapishtikoiats,  or  "  White  Cape,"  the  French  equiva- 
lent of  which,  "  Cap  Blanc,"  is  still  applied  to  a  por- 
tion of  the  city  lying  in  the  shadow  of  the  great  rock 
crowned  by  the  Citadel.  Stadacona,  or  Sta(hil:ona^ 
another  name  applied  by  the  Indians  to  the  environs 
of  Quebec,  signifies  "  the  crossing  over  the  floating 
wood,"  and  was  so  emj)loyed  because,  ujion  the  site 
of  what  is  now  a  part  of  Saint  Kochs  suburbs,  the 
mouth  of  the  St.  Charles  was  usually  encumbered  with 
driftwood,  upon  which  the  natives  were  in  the  habit 
of  crossing  the  bay. 

The  popular  translation  of  the  Montagnais  ouana- 
niche  is  "  little  saliiion."  Xot  until  very  recently  did 
it  occur  to  me  to  investigate  the  correctness  of  a  habit 
which  upon  more  than  one  occasion  I  have  followed, 
and  tliat  upon  the  authority  of  some  of  the  Indians 
themselves.  I  am  now  in  a  position  to  assert  that  the 
Montagnais  name  for  salmon — the  salmon  of  the  sea 
— is  not  ouanan  at  all,  but  oiicluicJwumac,  or  ou-sha- 
shu-mak.  It  is  true  that  ic/te  is  a  Montau'uais  diminu- 
tive,  but  the  Montagnais  equivalent  for  "little  sal- 
mon" would  rather  be  oucJiachoumaclche  than  ouana- 
niche,  and  the  Indians  even  now  often  apply  their 
name  for  the  Salmo  salar  to  particularly  dark-coloretl 
and  extra  large  specimens  of  the  ouananiclie  found  in 
certain  lakes,  as  we  shall  see  later.  To  their  ordinary 
fresh-water  salmon  they  applied  a  specific  name,  call- 
ing it  ouanans^  or  the  abbreviated  form,  loians — each 
pronounced  ''  wannan,"  "  whonnan,"  or  "  whennan." 


PHILOLOGY  OF  THE  OUANANICIIE  41 

Ouanans  is  supposed  by  some  authorities  to  have 
originally  signified  locality.  According  to  others  it  is 
a  corruption  of  oiien-a?  (pronounced  "\vhen-na''j — a 
Montagnais  interrogative.  Used  in  the  sense  of  "  Look 
there!  What  is  that?"  it  is  not  difficult  to  imagine 
how  ouen-a  or  ouan-a^  uttered  by  Montagnais  fisher- 
men as  they  pointed  to  large  fish  seen  feeding  upon  the 
flies  on  the  scum-covered  pools,  came  in  tiuKi  to  be  em- 
ployed for  the  name  of  that  particular  variety  which, 
more  than  any  other  in  the  territory  in  M'hich  it  is 
found,  is  fond  of  disporting  itself  upon  the  surface  of 
the  water.  Ouananiche  are  often  seen  sailing  around 
their  favorite  pools  with  their  dorsal  fins  out  of 
their  native  element.  The  diminutive  form  of  this 
word  is  now  almost  universally  em})loyed  in  speak- 
ing of  the  fish,  perhaps  because  the  latter  offers  no 
exception  to  the  angler's  general  experiences  that  the 
big  fish  are  few  and  far  between.  Or  can  it  be  that 
there  is  an  element  of  truth  in  the  Indian  reports  of 
the  deterioration  in  size  of  their  fresh-water  salmon, 
and  that  in  former  ages  these  fish  were  so  much  larger 
that  all  their  descendants  of  the  present  day  must  be 
classed  as  little  ouanans?  French -Canadian  fisher- 
men, settlers,  and  guides  in  the  land  of  the  ouananiche 
call  it  le  saumon  (the  salmon)  perhaps  oftener  than 
they  employ  the  Indian  name,  and  from  their  jxiit 
saumon  (little  salmon),  and  the  knowledge  that  the 
Montagnais  iche  is  a  diminutive,  may  have  originated 
the  fashionable  error  of  jumpving  to  the  conclusion 
that  "ouananiche"  is  an  Indian  equivalent  for  little 
salmon.  Were  it  indeed  so,  the  constructors  of  the 
word  would  simply  have  builded  better  than  they  knew. 


43  nilLOLOGY   OF  THE    OUANANICIIE 

It  lias  been  already  pointed  out  in  the  opeiiiiig 
chapter  that  "  ouananiche "  is  not  to  be  found  in 
any  of  the  dictionaries.  In  all  future  editions,  how- 
ever, it  is  bound  to  find  a  ])lace.  Throughout  the 
entire  realm  of  the  best  modern  t.nolino;  literatu>'(-i 
it  has  superseded  all  other  forms  of  the  word.  So 
far  only  the  Century  Dictionary  and  the  181)2  edi- 
tion of  Webster's  have  given  any  form  of  the  fish's 
name,  and  they  both  agree  upon  "  winninish,"  though 
they  differ  in  its  definition.  To  Dr.  Elliott  Coues — 
a  most  eminent  autliority — was  intrusted  the  super- 
vision of  the  zoological  terms  in  the  Century,  and  he 
■was  assisted  in  ichtliyology  by  the  very  capable  Pro- 
fessor Theodore  N.  Gill.  Yet  in  this  instance  there 
is  no  justification  for  either  their  orthography  or  defi- 
nition. The  ''winninish"  is  called  "the  Schoodic 
trout,"  and  upon  turning  up  the  word  "  trout,"  with 
its  various  qualifying  terms,  I  am  amazed  to  find  that 
the  Schoodic  trout  is  declared  to  be  identical  with 
"  the  great  lake  trout."  This  is  about  equivalent  to 
defining  "•  winninish  "  as  Salvelin us  namaijcush  !  That 
eminent  philological  authority,  Webster's  Dictionary, 
one  at  least  of  whose  proprietors,  Mr.  A.  G.  Merriam, 
of  Springfield,  is  an  accomplislied  angler  who  has  cul- 
tivated the  acquaintance  of  the  ouananiche  in  the 
Grande  Decharge  of  Lake  St.  John,  gives  the  defi- 
nition of  ''winninish"  as  follows:  "The  landlocked 
variety  of  the  common  salmon  (Canada)."  It  may 
at  first  sight  appear  presumptuous  to  criticise  the 
professional  work  of  so  justly  recognized  an  author- 
ity upon  his  favorite  branch  of  science  as  Professor 
Addison   E.  Verrill,  of    Yale   University,  who   con- 


PHILOLOGY   OF    THE   OUANANICIIE  48 

ducted  the  revision  of  the  zoological  terms  in  the 
1802  edition  of  Webster ;  but  I  have  no  hesitation  in 
declaring  that  neither  the  orthography  "  winninish " 
nor  yet  the  definition  above  quoted  is  the  best  avail- 
able. Tlie  ouananiche  of  Lake  St,  John  is  not  a 
"  landlocked"  salmon  at  all,  as  I  have  already  shown. 
In  all  waters  tributary  to  Lake  St.  John  it  has  free 
access  to  the  sea.  The  better  definition  of  the  name 
of  the  fish  when  limited,  as  it  is  in  Webster,  to  speci- 
mens having  a  Canadian  habitat,  Avould  be  "  the  fresh- 
water salmon  of  Lake  St.  John  and  Labrador,"  or 
"  the  fresh-water  salmon  of  the  Labrador  peninsula." 
The  mistake  of  calling  the  ouananiche  a  landlocked 
salmon  is  a  common  one,  and  nearly  as  old  as  the 
literature  of  the  subject.  It  is  somewhat  remarkable 
that  while  "  winninish"  is  treated  in  Webster's  as  of 
Canadian  origin,  it  is  applied  by  the  Century  to  an 
American  fish.  It  is  a  form  of  the  word  that  can 
claim  to  have  been  employed  by  authorities  not  want- 
ing in  respectability  in  addition  to  the  leading  diction- 
aries already  quoted  from.  It  appears  at  page  4-i5 
of  Dr.  Goode's  American  Fishes,  and  in  the  scien- 
tific paper  upon  the  '"'  Fishes  of  Ontario,"  by  Dr. 
Ramsay  Wright,  F.R.S.C,  publislied  in  1892  with 
the  report  of  the  Ontario  Fish  and  Game  Commis- 
sion. Like  the  greater  number  of  the  score  or  more 
of  different  spellings  of  the  fish's  name  that  I  have 
collected,  "winninish"  is  a  poor  attempt  to  anglicize 
the  original,  and  to  represent  phonetically  its  Indian 
pronunciation  l)y  means  of  English  orthography. 

Some  of  tlie  French  residents  about  Lake  St.  John 
pronounce  the  word  as  if  its  first  syllable  were  "ouiu" 


44  rillLOLOOY    OF   THE    OUANANICIIE 

instead  of  "  ouan,"  and  give  the  "  i "  its  English  sound ; 
thus,  "win"  instead  of  "  wan,"  tlie  "ou,"  of  course, 
haviuir  the  force  of  our  "  w."  Tiius  have  originated 
inany  of  the  varying  forms  of  the  word. 

It  is  ratlier  remarkable  tliat  Mr.  W.  11.  Gerard,  in 
an  article  in  the  New  York  Siai  of  July  30,  181>5,  on 
"Adopted  Indian  AVords,"  should  give  "wininish"  as 
"the  name  of  a  lish  of  the  Nortliern  lakes,  from  Ojib- 
wa'winin,'  fat,  and  the  derogatory  suilix  '-ish.'"'  It 
is  quite  true  tluit  because  the  ouananiclie  does  not  go 
down  to  fatten  itself  in  the  sea  like  its  conn-ener,  the 
Salniosalai\  but  spends  all  its  life  in  tlie  rapid  waters 
of  inland  streams,  it  is  often  much  slimmer  in  sliape 
than  the  ordinary  salmon,  while  as  to  its  lack  of  "fat- 
ness" in  anotlier  sense,  all  who  have  o])ened,  cooked, 
or  eaten  it  will  agree  that  there  is  less  oiliness  about 
it  than  in  tlie  case  of  the  ordinary  salmon.  However 
near  this  form  of  the  name  may  come,  nevertheless, 
to  the  Ojibwa  equivalent  for  leanness,  or  lack  of  fat, 
the  circumstance  is  only  a  coincidence.  I  have  vet  to 
learn  of  the  name  having  been  applied  to  fish  in  any 
part  of  tlie  country  in  which  tlie  Ojibwa  language 
ever  held  sway,  or  to  any  other  lish  anywhere,  than 
the  fresh-water,  dwarfish  salmon  of  northern  Canada 
and  the  northeastern  States  that  never  goes  out  to 
sea.  "Wininish"  is  not  from  the  Ojibwa  dialect  at 
all,  but  simply  an  English  corru])tion  of  the  original 
French  spelling  of  the  Montagnais  "ouananiche." 

There  are  many  reasons  for  ])ref erring  "  ouananiche  " 
to  all  the  other  forms  of  the  name.  It  is  true  that  its 
orthography  is  French,  but  French  was  the  original 
spelling  of  the  written  word.     The  name  of  the  fish  is, 


rillLOLOOY   OF   THE   OUANANICIIE  45 

of  course,  Indian,  but  the  various  sounds  of  the  spoken 
language  of  the  JMontagnais  and  Xascapee  tribes  were 
unrepresented  in  writing  until  the  arrival  of  French 
missionaries  in  Canada.  These  latter  reduced  the 
spoken  language  of  the  Indians  to  writing,  using  for 
the  purpose  their  own  French  alphabet  and  system  of 
orthograpliy.  They  transferred  to  paper  their  ety- 
mology of  the  sound  of  this  fish's  name,  and  their 
pictorial  rejiresentation  of  the  spoken  Indian  word  re- 
mains to  this  day  a  perfect  philological  reflex  of  the 
musical  vibrations  produced  by  its  pronunciation.  Xo 
English  spelling  represents  as  faithfully  the  Indian 
name  as  does  the  original  French  form — "  ouananiche." 
The  latter  is  the  orthography  employed  by  the  present 
French  and  Indian  guides  of  Lake  St.  John.  It  is 
found  in  both  the  best  English  and  the  best  French 
literature  produced  in  the  Province  of  Quebec,  where 
the  name  originated,  as  Avell  as  in  the  oilicial  reports 
of  the  Crown  Lands  Department  of  the  provincial  gov- 
ernment, in  the  officially  promulgated  game  laws  of 
the  Province  of  Quebec,  and  in  the  voluminous  mass 
of  literature  pertaining  to  the  sporting  resorts  of  this 
Northern  country  issued  by  the  Quebec  and  Lake  St. 
John  Itailway  Company.  Yandal  linguists  who  have 
attempted  to  anglicize  phonetically  the  appropriate  and 
original  orthography  of  the  Indian  sound  have  only- 
succeeded  in  creating  confusion,  as  I  am  about  to 
show,  by  erecting  a  Babel  com})osed  of  more  than  a 
score  of  different  spellings  of  the  same  word.  Uni- 
formity in  the  matter  need  never  be  looked  for  upon 
the  basis  of  any  one  of  the  many  anglicized  forms  of 
the  word.     In  French-Canadian  literature,  as  well  as 


40  IMIILOLOOY   OF   THE   OUANANICIIE 

in  the  Canadian  and  provincial  government  reports, 
"ouananiclie"  it  is,  and  "ouananiche"  it  will  remain. 
The  same  is  true  of  much  of  tlie  best  literary  work 
done  in  recent  years  by  those  Eni,dish-speaking  sports- 
men who  iiave  devoted  any  considerable  attention  to 
the  fish  and  to  the  sport  which  it  affords  the  angler ; 
as,  for  instance,  of  Biedeker's  ILindhoolc  to  Canada,  of 
the  articles  in  Blackwood'' >^  MagazhiG  and  t\\Q  Field, 
by  Lieut.-Col.  Andrew  C.  P.  Haggard,  D.S.O.,  and  of 
numerous  contrii)utors  to  the  columns  of  periodical 
anirlino;  literature.  The  editorial  writers  in  both  Shoot- 
iiuj  and  Filching  and  Forest  and  Stream,  and  in  par- 
ticular that  prominent  authority  upon  all  that  con- 
cerns fish  and  fishing — ]\Ir.  A.  Nelson  Cheney,  of  Glens 
Falls,  State  Fish  Culturist  of  New  York — invariably 
employ  "ouananiche.''  The  latter  mentioned  gentle- 
man has,  in  fact,  declared  his  intention  of  applying  it 
to  the  so-called  "land  locks"  of  both  the  United  States 
and  Canada.  It  does  not  appear  that  there  is  the 
sliirhtest  structnnil  difference  between  the  Eastern 
fresh- water  salmon  of  the  two  countries,  and  if  we  are 
to  have  one  generic  name  for  both  that  of  "  ouana- 
niche "  would  seem  open  to  no  objection.  "  Land- 
locked salmon,"  in  the  strict  literal  sense  of  the  term, 
they  are  not,  and  "  Sebago  salmon  "  or  "  Schoodic  sal- 
mon" would  be  appropriate  only  to  the  fish  of  a 
restricted  habitat,  and  not  at  all  to  the  fresh-water 
salmon  of  Canada.  If  scientific  accuracy  demands  in 
this  case  the  use  of  a  trinominal,  I  believe  that  "  Salmo 
salar  (ouananiche) "  is  infinitely  preferable  to  '■''Salmo 
salar,  variety  Sehagoy 
Kit  Clarke  has  adopted    the  name   "  wininnish," 


PHILOLOGY    OF   THE   OUANANICHK  47 

^vhich  is  to  be  found  botli  in  The  Practical  Angler 
and  in  Where  the  Trout  Il'ide^  as  well  as  in  the  many 
ciiarming  contributions  of  tlicir  author  to  the  leading 
American  magazines  of  sport.  It  occurs  also  in  some 
of  the  Avritings  of  Mr.  Charles  Ilallock,  as  also  do  the 
forms  "  ouininnish"  and  "  wananishe."  "  Ouininnish" 
appears  in  Ilallock's  Sjyort.wuni's  Gazetteer,  and  "  wa- 
nanishe" in  his  paper  on  the  salmon  in  Shields's  J.?/zc;'- 
ican  Game  Fishes.  In  the  folders  of  some  of  the 
American  railways  the  name  is  spelled  "ouinaniche," 
and  so  it  is  incidentally,  as  a  synonym,  by  Mr.  J.  G. 
Aylwin  Creighton,  of  Ottawa.  The  same  orthog- 
raphy was  emplo3^ed  no  later  than  March,  1894,  in  a 
review  of  a  new  book  in  the  columns  of  L Evenement 
newspaper  of  Quebec,  and  Rev.  Duncan  Anderson 
uses  it  in  A  Dominion  Day  Idyll.  It  is  one  of  the 
many  forms  of  the  name  employed  by  Mr.  J.  M.  Le 
]\[oine,  F.R.S.C.,  who  at  page  203  of  his  Chasse  et 
jyeche  au  Canada  uses  also  the  plural  "ouinaniches." 
At  page  242  of  the  same  work  Mr.  Le  Moine  uses 
"ouinnaniche,"  for  which  spelling  I  know  of  no  other 
authority,  and  in  the  appendix  he  writes  it  "  winno- 
niche,"  employing  still  another  form  in  a  later  work, 
as  will  be  seen  further  on.  Mr.  William  C.  Harris, 
in  the  1885  edition  of  his  Angler''s  Guide,  also  Avrites 
"winnoniche."  Mr.  J.  Edmond  Roy,  F.R.S.C.,  in  his 
Voyage  au  pays  de  Tadoussac,  gives  us  "  ouananish." 
"  Winninisch  "  is  written  by  C.  M.  Palmer,  of  Minne- 
apolis, at  page  71  of  Favorite  Flies,  by  Mary  Orvis 
Marbury,  and  "  winnonish  "  is  the  spelling  found  on 
a  board  nailed  to  a  tree  on  the  shore  of  Lake  Tscho- 
tagama,  some  fifty  miles  up  the  Grand  Peribonca,  and 


48  PHILOLOGY   OF   THE   OUANAXICHE 

containing'  the  record  of  a  fishing  experience  there  in 
July,  181*1,  by  Messrs.  E.  J.  Myers  and  A.  W.  Koehler, 
of  Xew  York,  though  in  justice  to  Mr.  Myers  it  must 
be  said  that  he  invariabl}'  uses  "ouananiche"  in  his 
interesting  contributions  to  the  literature  of  the  fish 
and  of  the  sport  tliat  it  affords.  "  Winanishe"  is  the 
orthography  employed  by  one  of  the  earliest  students 
and  closest  observers  of  the  fish  —  ]\Ir.  J.  G.  A. 
Creighton — throughout  his  article  in  iS('/'ihner\s  Mag- 
az'rne  for  May,  ISSU,  while  "  wananishe,"  the  form 
already  quoted  from  Ilallock  in  Shields's  uhnerican 
Game  Fishes,  is  that  which  ]\[r.  Creighton.  adopts,  not 
only  in  the  title  of  his  monograph  in  the  same  vol- 
ume, but  generally  throughout  that  carefully  pre- 
pared paper.  In  Outing  for  August,  1890,  Mr.  George 
It.  ]\[osle  writes  "  wininish,"  and  the  spelling  ''  win- 
nouiche  "  is  that  adopted  in  Lovell's  Gazetteer  of  Brit- 
ish Xorth  America.  JMr.  James  McKenzie,  of  the  old 
Xorthwest  Company,  visited  "  The  King's  Posts  "  of 
the  Saguenay  and  the  Labrador  coast  in  18(i8,  and  in 
the  journey  of  his  canoe  jaunt,  which  has  been  printed 
by  the  lion.  L.  E.  Masson,  he  speaks  of  a  fish  resem- 
bling salmon,  a  foot  and  a  half  long,  found  in  Lake 
St.  John,  "  though  not  in  great  numbers,"  and  "  called 
by  the  Indians  loinanisy  Mr.  C.  II.  Farnham,  in  the 
course  of  his  admirable  story  of  the  Canadian  voya- 
(jeurs  on  the  Saguena}^  printed  in  llari)er\^  2la<jazin€ 
for  ]\Iarch,  1888,  em})loys  the  name  "  wannoniche." 
The  ]\Iarquis  of  Lome,  whose  literary  work  is  usually 
more  ])opular  than  scientific,  has  invented  the  name 
"  ouaniche,"  which  appears  at  page  88  of  ids  Canadian 
Pictures,  published  by  the  lieligious  Tract  Society. 


nilLOLOGY    OF   THE   OUANANICIIE  49 

"  Theory  says,"  he  tells  us,  "  that  these  are  salmon 
which  have  been  unable  to  get  back  to  the  sea,  and 
have  acclimatized  themselves  to  their  altered  con- 
ditions." But  the  IMost  Xoble  Marquis  does  not  tell 
us  how  theory  had  bluridered  in  this  matter,  and  he 
probably  never  stopped  to  inquire  whether  it  had 
or  not.  Both  :\rr.  W.  II.  II.  Murray  and  :\Ir.  J.  M. 
Le  ]\roine — the  former  in  his  book  on  the  Lake  St. 
John  region,  and  the  latter  in  his  Historical  and 
Sjjorting  Notes  on  QaSec — employ  the  form  "  wana- 
nish."  So  does  Mr.  Arthur  Buies  in  his  work  on  the 
Saguenay.  The  I^nglish  pronunciation  of  this  oilhog- 
vaphy  resembles  somewhat  that  of  the  Indian  name  of 
the  fish,  but  not  so  nearly  as  does  the  spelling  already 
given  from  Messrs.  Ilallock^s  and  Creighton's  articles 
in  American  Game  F'isJtcs.  A  still  closer  aj^proach  to 
the  proper  sound  is  found  in  the  pronunciation  ot" 
"  wannanishe,"  which  is  the  orthogra])h3'  upon  the 
I'ormits  to  tisli  in  his  private  waters  in  the  Grande 
Decharge,  issued  by  J\lr.  W.  A.  GriiFiths,  one  of  the 
first  regular  English-speaking  frequenters  of  these 
waters.  "  Wenanishe"  is  found  in  a  report  of  a  gov- 
ernment exploratory  survey  of  the  Saguenay,  pre])ared 
by  Mr.  Nixon,  of  the  OGtli  Regiment,  in  1Sl>0;  and 
Bouchette,  in  his  Topographical  Dictionary  of  Canada^ 
calls  it  "awenanish,"  declaring  that  "the  awenanish 
is  said  to  be  the  most  delicious  fresh -water  lish  in  the 
world."  Rogei's,  in  his  Sfadacona  Dcpicta,  follows 
tlie  spelling  of  Bouchette.  S.  AVebber,  in  Forest  and 
Stream  of  March  17,  1804,  employs  "  wannnnish."  In 
the  Canadian  Sjmisman  of  July  18,  18*.»0,  ji])i)ears 
the  form  "owaninach  ";  in  the  same  piiper  of  .Inly  11, 


no  I'JIILOLOGY    OF    Till';    OUAXAXICIIK 

1890,  occurs  "fmininiclie";  and  I  liave  scon  tlio  name 
spelled  both  "ouenanesli"  and  "oiiinenish"  by  (Quebec 
fish -dealers.  There  have  been  undoubtedly  many 
other  IVjrins  of  the  word,  but  i'or  the  scoie  oi-  more 
given  above  1  iiavo  (juoted  authorities,  all  ol'  whom 
are  snppcjsed  to  know  more  i)V  less  of  the  tish  with 
■whose  name  they  have  struf^crhid.  In  brief,  wo  have 
h;i<l  ouananiche,  winninish,  wininnish,  ouininnish, 
wananisho,  ouininiche,  ouinanicho,  ouinnaniehe,  win- 
noniche,  ouananish,  ouaniche,  winninisch,  winnonish, 
winanisho,  winanis,  wininish,  winnouiche,  wananish, 
wannanisho,  wannoniche,  w<Mianisho,awenanishe,  wan- 
nanish,  owaninach,  ouenanesh,  ouinenish. 

The  form  of  spcllinf^  adopted  in  Webster's  Diction- 
ary and  in  the  (Jenturv  has  nothin"^  whatever  to  rccoin- 
mend  it  beyond  the  fact  that  it  has  in  recent  years 
been  uscid  by  writers  u])on  ichthyological  and  an^diii<2^ 
subjects,  just  as  a  nund)er  of  others  have  been.  The 
English  |>i'onunciation  of  ''winninish"  docs  not  con- 
vey anything  like  the  sound  of  ihe  Indian  word,  as 
all  will  n.'adily  testify  who  have  heard  the  latter 
glide  like  a  n(jte  of  Xatur(!\s  music  from  the  lips  of  a 
J\Ionta<rnais  guid(\  Of  all  the;  anglicized  forms  of  the 
woi'd  "  wann;inishe"  comes  nearest  in  })r(munciation 
t<j  the  Indian  name,  and  yet  I  have  met  with  it  but 
once.  And  even  were  it  possible  to  secure  for  its  use 
uniformity,  what  wiirrant  is  ther(3  for  substituting  it 
for  the  origiuid  "oujinanichc,"  or  what  is  to  be  gained 
by  the  changed  And  now  that  the  original  form  has 
obtained  such  widespread  acc(')»tance  in  Knglish  liter- 
ature, it  surely  savors  ^)i  literary  barbarism  to  seek  for 
a  phonetic  spelling,  by  substituting,  for  a  poetically 


I'UILOLOGV    OF    TIIK    Ol-AXAMCIIK  •')! 

constructed  word,  ;i  mon^n-el  ortlu/nrjipliy,  such  as  is 
soinotiines  found  enclosed  Ixstween  parentlies(.'S  in  the 
pi'onouncin*,^  dictionai'ies.  And  the  ahsunUty  of  tlie 
seeking  is  found  in  tlie  variety  of  the  grotes(jue  re- 
sidts  ah-eady  ind;i;;it(Ml.  As  well,  it  seems  to  me, 
miii'lit  we  ohiect  to  the  French  form  of  the  word 
"cluimpagne,'' and  persist  in  writin^'  it  '*  shami)ain" 
or  "shanii)ano,"  as  to  persevere  in  the  anglicization  of 
"ouananiche." 

The  forked-tail — lake  trout — *,^ray  trout — ]nn<x(i  or 
tonhufi.  is  fortunate  in  tin;  alnu^st  univei'sal  mainte- 
nance for  th(!  nanu;  of  its  speci(;s,  of  th(j  orii,dnal 
French  ortho<^rai»liical  illustration  of  the  Indian  sound 
ropresent(!d  hy  tlu;  pi-ommciation  of  "  namaycush." 
JluL  in  the  case  of  ,'inother  North  Amci'ican  iish — 
Kxv.iyuoh'dtoi' — whos(;  i)opular  title  in  its  ori;^inal  IV^rin, 
like  that  of  the  ouananiche  and  namaycush,  comes 
down  to  us,  as  correctly  claimed  hy  Mr.  ^rath(;r,  from 
its  Indian  nomenclature,  an  apparent  desire  to  •^•et 
away  from  French  oithograj)hy  has  produced  a  some- 
what similar  confusi*  n  of  langua<(e  to  that  already 
described  in  the  case  of  the  ouananiche.  Tl  v  original 
spilling  of  the  Indian  nani<3  was  undoubtedly  "  mas- 
kinonge,"  and  such  it  is  still  called  in  tin;  statutes 
of  Canada.  According  to  Ilisliop  Lalleche,  of  Three 
liivers,  a  recognized  authority  upon  Indian  customs 
and  dialects,  and  in  his  early  life  a  devoted  mission- 
ary to  the  Northwest,  "maskir...nge"  is  derived  from 
iiiiixhW'  (deforu'ed)  and  l''ni(iiij<'  (a  ])ike),  and  was  aj)- 
jilitnl  to  the  hso.r  imhU'or  by  the  Indians,  because  it 

*  In  tlio  Uii/ijiort  8iir  Uh  inimotiH  tin  tlioceMi  <h  Qnt/jcc,  No.  12, 
April,  1«:)7,  p.  IQ2. 


53  I'lIILOLOGY    OF    THE    OUANANICIIE 

appeared  to  them  a  deformed  or  dilTeront  kind  of 
pike  from  that  to  Avhich  the\'  had  been  accustomed. 
The  river  of  the  same  name  that  flows  into  Lake  St. 
Peter,  which  name  has  been  extended  to  tlie  town 
built  at  its  mouth,  and  the  countv  of  whicli  it  is  tiie 
rheflieu,  was  doubtless  so  called  from  the  number  of 
these  fish  taken  in  or  near  its  estuarv,  and  after  their 
Indian  name.  And  it  ii'  a  sino-nlar  corroboration  of 
the  absolute  correctness  of  the  French  orthography 
"  maskinongc ''  that  no  less  an  authority  than  J  )r. 
James  A.  Ilenshall,  the  author  of  the  paper  on  this 
llsli  in  Ainei'ican  Game  J^i'^/tes-,  following  the  nomen- 
clature of  Dr.  Mitchil,  and  of  I)e  Kay,  in  his  Ftshes 
of  Xao  Yorl-,  substitutes  for  nolJIior,  as  the  name  of 
this  particular  species,  '•masquinongy,"  whicli  is  about 
as  near  as  it  is  possible  for  English  orthography  to  go 
in  representing  the  correct  pronunciation  of  "  maski- 
nongc." Yet  Dr.  Ilenshall  claims  that  by  common 
consent  and  custcmi  the  name  is  "  mascalonge*'  among 
the  majority  of  anglers,  and  that  "  mascalonge  "  it  will 
be  for  generations  to  come.  Xor  does  this  mongrel 
name,  which  Dr.  Ilenshall  himself  employs  for  the 
title  of  his  admirable  monograph  on  the  lish,  repre- 
sent the  full  extent  of  the  departure  from  the  origi- 
nal name.  He  gives  us  liimself,  among  other  forms, 
"muscalonge,"  "muskellunge,"  "muskallonge,"  etc., 
and  a  variety  of  other  spellings  has  been  adopted  by 
other  writers.  '•  Muskellunge"  —  one  of  t!io  forms 
already  quoted  —  is  the  name  employed  to  designate 
the  species  l\y  Dr.  C.  Brown  Goode  in  his  Antcricifii 
Juf^/u's,  and  is  as  far  removed  from  tiie  original  name 
as  "  winninish''  is  from  '' ouananiche." 


nilLOLOGY    OF    THE   OUANANICHE  53 

The  following  letter  from  Mr.  Ernest  Gagnon,  Sec- 
retary of  the  Departincnt  of  Public  Works  at  (Quebec, 
a  devoted  student  of  early  Canadian  histor}'',  and  the 
author  of  a  series  of  articles  entitled  "  Au  Pays  des 
Ouananiches"  (In  tlie  Country  of  the  Ounanicbe), 
wliich  appeared  in  1SS8  in  the  pages  of  the  Rtvm 
Geogmjjhique  of  Pai'is,  will  speak  for  itself: 

"QUEHEC,  5  Avril,  1854. 

"  Cher  Monsieur  Chambers  : 

"  J'ai  eu  le  phiisir  de  recevoir,  ce  matin,  lii  visite  du  U.  P.  La- 
casse,  O.  M.  I.,  qui  urrivo  du  Lac  St.  Jean.  11  niu  dit  que  le  plus 
aucien  llvre  de  la  mission  ^loutagnaise  se  trouve  a  Bet.siamitz.  11 
a  ete  ecrit  par  le  K.  P.  Masse,  niissiouaire  Jcsulle,  et  le  mot  ouarui- 
niehe  s'  y  trouve  iniprime  comnie  vous  I'epeiiiz  vous-meme  :  oita- 
na-niche. 

"  Uecevez  tnus  mes  compliments. 

"EijNEST  Gagnon." 

{Translation.) 

"QtT.i  KC,  0th  April,  189-1. 

" Dear  Mr.  Chnmhers: 

"I  bad  the  pleasure,  this  morning,  of  a  visit  from  the  Rev. 
Father  Lacasse,  01)lat  Missionarj',  wlio  has  arrived  from  Lake  St. 
John.  lie  tells  me  that  the  oldest  hook  of  the  M(jnUignais  mission 
is  to  he  found  at  Betsiamitz.  It  was  written  by  the  Kev.  Father 
Masse,  Jesuit  nussionary,  and  the  word  ouaiuuiiche  is  printed  in  it 
as  you  yourself  spell  it  :  aua-iu;  iiirhe. 

"  With  romplimonts, 

"Ehnest  G^agnon." 

I  know  not  the  date  of  the  book  to  which  the  Rev. 
Father  Lacasse  refers,  but  its  author,  Kev.  Father 
Masse,  came  to  Canada  in  1(511  and  died  in  lf!4(j.  So 
that  there  can  be  no  manner  of  doubt  that  for  at  least 
2r)0  years  "ouananiche"  has  been  the  sp(»lling  of  the 
name  in  the  literature  of  the  country  in  which  the 
lish  is  found. 


54  PHILOLOGY   OF   THE   OUANAXICIIE 

In  concludinf^  a  pa])er  upon  the  philology  of  the 
ouananicho  t'oi*  the  May,  1894,  meeting  of  the  Iloyal 
Society  of  Canada,  I  made  the  following  a])i)eal : 
"The  gentle  Izaak  claims  our  admiration  and  respect 
by  the  ])urit3^  of  his  language  no  less  thnn  by  his  in- 
timacy with  iisli  and  fishing;  and  from  the  refining 
inftuences  of  the  gentle  art,  and  even  from  the  refine- 
ment of  nature  that  inspires  the  love  of  it,  I  am  per- 
suaded that  one  has  only  to  point  out  to  the  angling 
community,  nnd  to  those  who  contribute  to  its  litera- 
ture, the  claims  of  the  original  name  of  the  ouana- 
niche,  to  insure  at  the  hands  of  so  cultured  a  constit- 
uency a  due  recognition  of  what  Dr.  Ilenshall  so 
admirably  terms,  in  discussing  a  cognate  subject,  'the 
inflexible  law  of  priority.'  " 

Coming  now  to  the  pronunciation  of  "ouananiche," 
and  referring  to  \vhat  I  have  already  had  occasion  to 
say  elsewherj  on  the  subject,  I  cannot,  ]K'rhaps,  do 
better  than  to  quote  the  following  from  Mr.  A.  Nel- 
son Cheney's  "Angling  Notes"  in  Forest  a  ad  Stream 
of  April  7,  lSO-1 : 

"Judge  S.  11.  Greene  writes  me :  '  Tlirongli  tlie  cnhimiis  of  For- 
I'st  (Old  Sti'((;m  will  you  kindly  educate  us  of  the  "  wild  and  woolly 
West"  in  the  pronunciation  of  the  name  of  that  game-lish  of  yours 
of  the  East,  "  ouananiche  ?"  ]Many  of  us  who  holdly,  witliout  the 
least  hesitation,  talk  freely  about  Skamokawa,  the  rnpital  of  Wahi- 
akum  County;  Iluinptulipe,  Scmialioo,  Stillnqnnmish,  Wa  Wawai, 
etc..  hedge  on  the  word  ouananiche  by  simply  spelling  it,  leaving 
each  auditor  to  mentally  pronounce  it  to  suit  himself,  or,  at  most, 
stammering  out  something  so  entirely  imsatisfactory  that  the  at- 
tempted pronunciation  is  invariably  followed  by  the  parenthetical 
remark,  "or  liowever  you  pronounce  it."' 

"  I  am  a  little  sin-prised  that  this  question  was  not  asked  long 
ago  by  some  one  of  somebody,  for  common  as  this  rather  queer- 


PHILOLOGY    OF   THE   OUANANICIIE  55 

lookiug  word  has  become  of  late  years,  I  liave  known  of  but  one  at- 
tempt made  to  represent  the  correct  pronunciation  in  printed  let- 
ters, and  in  that  single  instance  such  dense  ignorance  was  shown 
regarding  tlie  genealogy  of  the  fish  that  the  given  pronunciation 
might  liave  been  regarded  with  suspicion,  particularly  as  after  rep- 
resenting tlie  sound  of  the  word,  the  writer,  thereafter,  throughout 
Ins  article,  gave  an  English  rendering  of  the  word  wjtirely  different 
from  tliat  wliich  he  had  just  said  was  correct.  Canadian  angling 
writers  have  sometimes  spelled  the  word  in  English  in  one  way  and 
at  anotl)er  time  in  anotlier  way,  representing  entirely  different 
sounds,  but  in  the  following  I  am  confirmed  by  ^Nlr.  E.  T.  I).  Cham- 
bers, of  Quebec,  who  Jias  collected  fifteen  mongrel  forms  of  the 
word,  and  wlio  is  an  autliority  upon  tlie  subject. 

"  Ouananiche  is  pronounced  by  the  Montagnais  Indian  as  if  it 
were  siielled  in  Englisli — whoixnuKhe.  The  first  '  h '  is  used  because 
they  pronounce  the  word  as  if  it  commenced  witli  an  aspirate,  and 
the  'o'  is  employed  for  the  broad  sound  of  'a,'  as  in  the  English 
word  'wan.'  I  think  tlic  most  common  form  of  the  word  repre- 
sented in  English  spelling  is  'wininnish,'  and  Mr.  Chaml)ers  ex- 
plains how  this  has  come  about  :  '  The  French,  having  no  "  w,"  and 
their  "on"  being  nearly  its  equivalent,  as  in  otm' (pronounced  "we"), 
the  original  French  .spelling  "ouananiclie,"  for  the  employment  of 
which,  in  preference  to  Englisli  forms  of  the  word,  I  have  always 
strenuously  contended,  is  the  best  possible  picture  of  the  spoken 
sound.  Some  of  the  French  residents  about  Lake  St.  John  pro- 
nounce the  word  as  if  its  first  vowel  were  an  "i,"  and  give  it  the 
English  sound,  and  s(niie  anglers  liave  carried  this  pronunciation 
away  with  them,  and  so  have  arisen  the  many  mongrel  forms  of 
the  word.'" 

There  is  but  little  to  add  to  the  above.  I  have  al- 
roadv  said  that  of  all  the  ano'licized  forms  of  the  word, 
"  wannanishe  "  comes  nearest  in  pronunciation  to  the 
Indian  name.  But  the  Indians  usually  pronounce  it 
with  a  kind  of  an  aspirate  at  the  commencement  of  the 
word,  which  it  is  diiHcult  to  re})resent  on  paper,  the 
nearest  njiproach  that  I  can  devise  to  the  sound  in  writ- 
ten characters  being  u'/ton-na-nis/ie,  whan-na-nishe,  and 


56  PHILOLOGY   OF   THE   OUANANICHE 

sometimes  when-na-nishe.  In  fact,  tliose  Indians  wlio 
have  been  much  associated  with  Englisli- speaking 
anglers  can  be  readily  encouraged  to  pronounce  the 
word  in  as  many  different  ways  as  tlie  hitter  have  of 
spelling  it.  These  Montagnais  seem  to  have  a  weak- 
ness for  assenting  to  everything.  It  is  almost  as  diffi- 
cult to  get  a  negative  reply  to  a  question  from  them 
as  to  lind  one  who  will  say  "no"  to  the  offer  of  a 
€0112^  or  ''  drop  "  from  the  angler's  flask.  Ask  one  of 
them  if  "  winninish"  is  the  correct  pronunciation,  and 
ten  chances  to  one  he  will  answer  "  ves."  Ask  him  a 
minute  afterwards  if  "  whon-na-nishe  "  is  not  correct, 
and  he  will  say  "certainly."  Those  who  believe  that 
the  pronunciation  should  be  "  ow-wan-na-nishe"  can,  in 
the  same  manner,  obtain  just  as  easy  a  confirmation 
of  their  theory.  Mr.  Cheney  tested  the  matter  in  my 
presence  at  Roberval,  in  August,  ISO-i,  to  the  com- 
plete satisfaction  of  both  of  us ;  and  our  Indians,  some 
of  the  most  intelligent  of  the  tribe,  said  "yes"  to  all 
the  dill'erent  forms  of  pronunciation  that  he  proposed. 
The  fact  undoubtedly  is  that  they  have  no  confidence 
in  their  own  judgment  in  matters  of  this  kind — at  all 
events,  in  the  presence  of  nn,  monsieur — and  naturally 
deferring  to  the  views  of  those  whom  they  know  to  be 
much  better  educated  than  themselves,  have  become 
unsettled  in  their  own  minds  as  to  the  proper  })ronun- 
ciation  of  the  name,  because  of  the  various  sounds 
given  it  by  the  different  fishermen  for  whom  they 
have  acted  as  guides.  But  if  one  of  the  more  intelli- 
gent of  the  older  warriors  of  the  tribe  be  shown  the 
fish  and  asked  its  name  without  any  previous  sugges- 
tions of  the  pronunciation,  he  will   invariably  say 


PHILOLOGY   OF   THE   OUANANICIIE  57 

"  whon-na-nishe,"  and  I  know  of  no  better  form  than 
this  of  exjiressinf^  on  paper  the  sound  wliich  is  also 
made  by  the  Indian  missionaries  and  those  best  ac- 
(juainted  with  the  early  literature  of  French  Canadn, 
in  their  reall}'  musical  pronunciation  of  ''uuananjcbe." 


Ipart  Him 


ANGLING   FOli  OUANANICHE 


ANGLING    Foil  OUANANICHE 


OrAXANiCHE  may  be  angled  for  in  Canada  from  the 
time  that  the  ice  disappears  in  the  spring  till  the  IStli 
f)f  September.  The  breaking  up  of  the  ice  may  occur 
at  any  time  from  the  middle  of  A})ril  till  the  middle 
of  Mav,  and  from  a  dav  or  two  later  dates  the  earliest 
spring  fishing  for  ouananiche.  This  is  usually  at  its 
best  in  the  third  and  fourth  weeks  of  ]\Iay.  In  the 
spring  of  1S9J-,  which  was  an  exceptionally  early  sea- 
son, it  was  good  in  the  first  week  of  the  month.  Excel- 
lent sport  can  be  had  from  the  very  commencement 
to  the  very  close  of  the  season,  but  must  be  sought  in 
different  localities  at  different  periods.  For  the  first 
two  or  three  weeks  after  the  dejiarture  of  the  ice,  the 
fish  are  taken  in  large  quantities  with  bait  by  the 
residents  of  lloborval.  aloni;  the  shore  of  Lake  St. 
John,  upon  which  their  village  is  erected.  The  bait 
used  by  tiiem  is  generally  either  worms,  pork',  pieces 
of  ouitouche  or  chub,  or  of  the  ouananiche  itself.  Some- 
times in  the  spring  a  few  ouananiche  may  be  taken 
bv  the  flv  off  the  Roberval  shore,  but  flv-fishinc:  is 
not  usuallv  crowned  there  with  much  success  at  anv 
time,  and  except  in  the  early  spring  is  rarely  effective. 
Sometimes  it  has  happened,  however,  as  in  the  autuniu 


C2  ANGLING    FOR   OUANANICIIE 

of  ISO-i.  that  the  waters  of  the  lake,  whicli  vary  in 
heio-ht  some  twenty  to  thirty  feet  during;  the  season, 
are  nearly  as  high  in  the  fall  as  they  were  in  the  spring 
of  the  year.  In  August,  1894,-  there  were  abundant 
catches  of  ouananiche  with  rod  and  line  in  Eoberyal 
Bay.  Ko  better  directions  can  be  given  for  angling 
for  the  fish  in  the  lake  itself  than  some  of  those  con- 
tained in  the  quaint  instructions  for  catching  salmon, 
of  Thomas  Barker,  to  whom  good  old  Father  Walton 
was  indebted  for  much  of  what  he  knew  of  ilv-fishing 
and  artificial  flies.  ]\[ucli  more  accurate,  in  fact,  as  a 
description  of  ouananiche  fishing  than  as  a  guide  to 
tlie  taking  of  the  Salmo  salar,  in  Xortli  American 
rivers,  is  the  following  passage  from  "  An  Ancient 
Pi-actitioner  in  the  Art,"  as  he  calls  himself,  to  be 
found  in  .B(irl;er's  Delight^  or  the  Art  of  Angl'mg  : 

"  The  aiii^ler  that  goeth  to  catch  him  with  a  lino  and  hook  must 
angle  IVir  him  as  nigh  the  mitldlo  of  the  water  as  he  can  with  one 
of  these  baits  :  lie  must  take  two  lob-worms,  baited  as  handsomely 
as  he  can,  that  the  four  ends  may  hang  meet  of  a  length,  and  so 
angle  as  nigh  the  Ixittom  as  he  can,  feeling  your  plummet  run  on 
the  ground  some  twelve  inches  from  the  hook;  if  you  angle  for 
him  with  a  flie  (which  he  will  rise  at  like  a  trout)  the  flie  must  be 
made  of  a  large  hook,  which  hook  must  carry  six  wings,  or  four  at 
least  ;  there  is  judgement  in  making  tlmse  tlyes.  Tlie  salmon  will 
come  at  a  gudgeon  in  the  manner  of  a  troniing,  and  comelh  at  it 
bravely,  which  is  line  angling  for  him  and  good.  You  must  l)o 
sure  that  you  have  your  line  of  twenty-six  yards  of  length,  that 
you  may  have  your  convenient  time  to  turne  him,  or  else  you  are 
in  danger  to  lose  him  :  but  if  j'ou  turne  him  you  are  very  like  to 
have  the  fish  with  small  tackles  :  the  danger  is  all  in  the  running 
out  both  of  Salmon  and  Trout,  ytiu  must  forecast  to  turn  the  fish 
as  you  do  a  wild  horse,  either  upon  the  right  or  the  left  hand,  and 
wind  up  your  line  as  you  flnde  oocaslou  in  the  guiding  the  fish  to 
the  shore." 


ANGLING    FOR    OUANANICIIE  63 

The  natives  of  Roberval,  however,  are  seldom  par- 
ticular enough  in  their  fishini^  to  use  a  plummet,  and 
as  their  lines  are  usually  of  heavy  cord  with  gimp 
next  the  hook,  the  length  of  them  is  more  like  the 
half  of  twentv-six  feet  than  it  is  like  twentv-six  vards. 

Their  general  appearance  and  that  of  their  outfit 
almost  recall  the  fisherman 

"Whose  ang'le  rod  was  made  of  sturdy  oalv. 
His  line  a  cable  that  no  sliip  ere  broke  ; 
His  liook  was  l)aited  with  a  dragon's  tail, 
lie  stood  upon  a  rock  and  hohb'd  for  wlialc." 

The  taking  of  ouananiche  bv  these  habitant  fisher- 
men  of  Lake  St.  John  is  rather  for  food  than  for  sport, 
like  the  angling  attributed  by  old  John  Dennys,  in  his 
remarkable  Secrets  of  Angling,  to  its  alleged  inventor, 
Deucalion,  for  the  purpose  of  feeding  the  newly  peo- 
pled earth  : 

"Since  foode  there  was  not  any  to  bo  found, 
For  that  great  Hood  had  all  destroyd  and  drowud. 

"Then  did  Deucalion  first  the  Art  inuent 
Of  Angling,  and  his  people  taught  the  same  ; 
And  to  the  Woods  and  groues  with  them  hee  went 
Fit  tooles  to  finde  for  this  most  needfull  game  ; 
There  from  tiie  trees  the  longesu  ryndes  tliey  rent, 
Wherewith  strong  Lines  they  roughly  twist  and  fratue, 
And  of  each  ciooke  of  hardest  Bush  and  Brake, 
Tliey  made  them  Ilookcs  the  hungry  Fisli  to  take." 

While  the  ouananiche,  like  the  trout,  can  scarcely 
be  struck  too  (ptickly  when  felt,  or  when  seen  to  take 
the  Hy,  there  must  be  no  undue  haste  in  attempting 
to  hook  him  when  he  seizes  bait      lie  takes  it  into 


64  ANGLING    FOR   OUANANICUE 

his  mouth  loisurel}'",  and  the  haVdanU  about  Lalce  St. 
John,  in  order  \o  make  sure  of  him,  usually  permit 
him  to  swallow  l)oth  bait  and  liook.  "  Xever  hurry 
yourself  in  striking  a  fish,  but  give  him  time  to  get 
tlie  bait  Avell  into  his  moutli,  and  strike  as  perpendicu- 
larly as  you  can,"  says  Ilowitt,  in  his  curiously  illus- 
trated work  of  ISOS,  entitled  ''''jhujleis  Maniud,  ov 
concise  lessons  of  experience,  which  the  proficient  in 
the  delightful  recreation  of  angling  will  not  despise, 
and  the  learner  will  find  the  advantage  of  practising." 
Like  the  majority  of  the  SalmonidcB  outside  of  Salve- 
llnus  namaycush,  the  Canadian  onananiche  is  seldom 
succossfull}"  sought  by  anglers  very  far  out  from  shore 
in  the  midst  of  any  broad  expanse  of  lake.  During 
the  three  to  four  weeks  following  the  disappearance 
of  the  ice  on  Lake  St.  John  the  fish  are  found  dis- 
porting themselves  in  great  numbers  in  the  deep 
water  in  and  near  the  mouths  of  the  Ouiatchouan  ami 
Metabetchouan  rivers  —  southern  tributaries  of  the 
great  lake.  L'nlike  these,  the  broad,  sandy  est  laries 
of  the  immense  northern  feeders  of  the  inland  sea 
offer  no  attractions  to  the  angler,  who,  when  the 
proper  season  comes  around,  must  ascend  them  for 
several  miles  to  successfully  enjoy  his  favorite  sport. 
In  the  mouths  of  both  the  Ouiatchouan  and  ]\[etaliet- 
chouan,  for  some  twenty  to  twenty-five  days,  the  ona- 
naniche rise  freely  to  the  fly.  Eut  comparatively  few 
visiting  anglers  are  found  at  Lake  St.  John  so  early 
in  the  season,  though  those  who  make  some  sacrifice 
of  creature  comforts,  by  arriving  there  before  the  sum- 
mer opening  of  hotels,  have  their  compensation  in  the 
splendid  sport  that  they  enjoy  quite  close  to  tlie  rail- 


ANGLING    FOR   OUANANICIIE  65 

way  and  before  the  annual  plague  of  flies  sets  in. 
And  so  it  comes  that  the  great  bulk  of  the  fish  that 
are  cauo-ht  there  out  of  the  lii*st  run  of  the  ouananiche 
do  not  rise  to  the  fiy-flsher's  lures,  but  vulgarly  seize 
some  of  the  plebeian  baits  already  referred  to,  and  are 
yanked  at  the  end  of  a  stout  rustic  pole  and  line 
in  strong  hahitant  hands  from  their  native  element. 
In  this  ravenous  spring  and  summer  api)etite  of  the 
ouananiche  for  fish  and  flesli  is  found  one  of  the  most 
striking  points  of  difference  between  it  and  the  sea 
salmon  during  the  hitter's  presence  in  fresh  water. 
The  salmon  remains  without  food  during  the  whole 
of  its  fresh- water  habitat,  if  we  can  believe  tliose  who 
tell  us  that  its  upward  darts  after  insect  life  are  dic- 
tated by  caprice  rather  than  hunger.  Whatever  deep- 
water  feeding  it  has  done  in  its  winter-time  of  feast- 
ing, the  ouananiclu  is  still  apparently  hungry  wlien 
commencing  the  asc^^nt  of  the  rivers  flowing  into  the 
lake  that  served  it,  as  the  sea  the  salmon,  for  gran- 
ary, banqueting -hall,  and  winter  quarters  combined. 
The  Hies  that  are  most  successful  in  the  earl}'^  spring 
fishing  for  ouananiche  are  quite  large,  in  fact  or- 
dinary salmon  flies  tied  on  No.  3  and  Xo.  4  hooks, 
and  other  flies  in  almost  equally  large  sizes.  Of 
the  former  I  prefer,  in  the  order  named,  after  careful 
trial  of  many  varieties,  the  Jock  Scott,  Silver  Doctor, 
Childers,  and  Durham  Ranger;  and  of  other  large  flies 
suitable  for  the  dark,  deep  water  wliere  the  fisiiing  in 
early  s])ring  is  best,  I  have  had  the  most  reason  to  be 
satisfied  witli  the  Professor,  Queen  of  the  AVater, 
Coch-y-bonddu,  brown  liackle.  Grizzly  King,  Green 
Drake,  and,  in  dark  days,  the  Coachman.     For  both 


60  ANGLING    FOR   OUANANICIIE 

]\ray  and  June  iisliinf*-,  the  Ouananiche,  a  new  fly, 
first  shown  nie  by  ^Ii'.  ]\IcCarthy,  and  somewhat  re- 
senibhng  the  Jock  Scott,  has  been  found  extremely 
successfuh 

So  long  as  there  is  not  too  much  paddling  about  to 
disturb  the  fish,  casting  from  a  canoe  is  to  be  pre- 
fevred,  thougii  in  Quel  let's  Tool,  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Ouiatchouan,  provided  })ermission  be  obtained  for 
the  purpose,  fair  angling  can  in  places  be  had  from 
the  easterly  bank.  In  company  with  Messrs,  Chise, 
of  Waterbury,  John  Wallace,  Jr.,  of  Ansonia,  Conn., 
R.  M.  Stocking,  of  Quebec,  and  B.  A.  Scott,  of  Rober- 
val,  I  had  some  good  sjiort  lishing  in  this  pool  on  the 
23d  and  24th  of  May,  18U2.  Messrs.  Chase  and  Wal- 
lace, to  whom  the  place  was  new,  were  delighted  be- 
yond measure,  botli  with  the  number  of  fish  taken 
and  by  the  rare  sport  afforded  even  by  those  which 
got  away.  The  ouananiche  were  in  most  s]iortive 
mood  on  both  days,  and  that  is  more  than  can  always 
be  said  for  them.  It  is  more,  too,  than  can  with  fidel- 
ity and  ease  be  described.  Picture  yourself  upon  the 
surface  of  a  pool  250  feet  across,  immediately  at  the 
foot  of  a  series  of  the  wildest  rapids,  and  within  a 
stone'?  tiirow  of  where  the  stream  mingles  its  waters 
with  those  of  Lako  St.  John.  Down  the  middle  of 
von  background  of  denselv  wooded  mountain  that 
limits  the  up-stream  view  of  the  river,  scarcely  a  mile 
distant,  roll  its  magnificent  waterfalls,  rivalling  in 
height  and  beauty  tliose  of  Montmorency.  No  dry 
ily-fishing  is  necessary  here  for  ouananiche.  Pret'^y 
long  casts  are  desirable,  and  when  found  fatiguing, 
the  method  may  be  varied  by  trolling  tlie  Hies  so  that 


DIIATC'IIOUAN    I'AM.S 


ANGLING   FOR   OUANANICIIE  C7 

the  dropper  alone  appears  upon  the  surface  of  the 
water.  I  have  ahnost  always  finind  it  successful  to 
have  the  tail-fiy  slightly  under  water  when  fishing 
in  springtime  for  ouananiche.  There  are  guides  at 
Lake  St.  John  who  urge  you  to  fish  with  only  one 
fly,  evidently  fearful  of  seeing  two  fish  hooked  on 
one  line  at  the  same  time,  and  sharing  the  belief  of 
some  who  have  written  on  the  subject,  relative  to  the 
impossibility  of  saving  them  both.  I  admit  that  if 
the  ouananiche  are  both  of  a  good  size  and  in  fair 
fighting  trim,  the  task  of  killing  them  will  prove  a 
difficult  one.  But  as  fly-fishermen  ai*e  not,  as  a  rule 
at  any  rate,  in  search  of  ease  and  speed  in  tlie  killing 
of  their  fish,  the  increased  difliculty  arising  fi'om 
having  two  ouananiche  instead  of  one  upon  the  line 
means  simply  a  very  largely  increased  measure  of 
enjoyment  of  ouo  of  the  most  exciting  forms  of  the 
sport.  Besides,  it  does  look  a  little  more  chivalrous, 
perhaps,  to  light  against  such  odds,  making  it  one 
man  to  two  ouananiche,  instead  of  one  fish  to  one 
man.  Even  in  the  latter  case  it  is  generally  the  guide 
that  handles  the  net,  which  practically  turns  the  odds 
the  otlier  wav,  and  makes  the  fight  one  between  two 
men  and  one  ouananiche.  And,  after  all,  the  one  lish 
•s  not  infi'equently  too  much  of  a  match  for  a  couple 
of  men,  though  whenever  it  can  prove  itself  so  no- 
body should  begrudge  it  liberty.  In  fishing  with  a 
couple  of  flies  there  is  alwa3's,  too,  to  be  taken  into 
consideration  the  double  chance  of  offering  the  fish 
an  acceptable  lure.  Little  fields  of  white  scum  or 
hwu  float  round  and  round  in  this  Ouiatchonan  ]iool 
because  of  the  existence  of  contrary  currents.     You 


68  ANGLING    FOR   OUANANICIIE 

have  drawn  your  cast  througli  one  of  these  patches, 
and  arc  perhaps  about  hl'ting  your  files  from  the  sur- 
face of  the  water,  when  a  violent  strike  tells  you  that 
a  prompt  responsive  jerk  will  make  fast  to  your  hook 
one  of  the  gamest  of  American  game-iishes.  Or, 
perhaps,  he  has  securely  hooked  himself,  and  almost 
before  you  have  ceased  wondering  at  the  length  of 
line  that  is  being  run  from  off  your  reel,  a  bright, 
arched  gleam  of  silver  darts  out  of  the  water  a  hun- 
dred feet  away  from  your  canoe,  as  suddenly  as  an 
arrow  shot  from  bow,  and  deliberately  turns  a  somer- 
sault three  or  four  feet  up  in  the  air.  If  you  are  a 
novice  at  the  sport,  or  he  has  taken  you  unawares, 
you  may  never  see  him  more.  If  he  managed  by  his 
superior  dexterity  and  cunning  to  get  the  slack  of  the 
line,  he  probably  shook  the  hook  from  his  mouth  and 
is  free.  If,  in  your  excitement,  you  gave  him  the 
butt  too  quickly,  you  perhaps  tore  the  hook  out  of 
his  delicate  mouth.  Or,  matching  his  agility  and 
strength  against  the  endurance  of  your  casting-line, 
or  the  pliability  of  your  trusty  rod,  he  has  made  ship- 
wreck alike  of  your  tackle  and  your  happiness.  Some- 
times his  leaps  are  made  in  such  rapid  succession  that 
you  are  fighting  your  fish  alternately  in  air  and 
water.  At  others,  if  he  be  a  large  fish,  he  goes  down 
and  sulks  like  a  salmon  from  the  sea.  His  different 
methods  of  defence  would  appear  to  indicate  that  he 
possesses  the  combined  Jinesse  of  the  salmon  and  the 
bass.  When  impaled  upon  the  hook  he  has  not  in- 
frequently been  known,  in  the  course  of  his  prodigious 
leaps,  to  alight  in  the  bottom  of  the  angler's  canoe. 
A  Montreal  judge  was  enjoying  a  brief  canoe  ride 


ANGLING   FOR  OUANANICIIE  69 

among  some  of  the  islands  of  the  Discharge  of  Lake 
St.  John  a  few  years  ago,  wearing  a  simiUirly  shaped 
head-gear  to  those  depicted  upon  the  anglers  in  ^low- 
itt's  etchings,  and  watching  the  fishing  of  a  friend  who 
occupied  a  neighboring  canoe.  The  ouananiche  tliat 
his  friend  was  playing  took  a  long  and  sudden  run 
until  close  to  the  judge's  canoe,  leaped  into  the  air, 
and  flapped  directly  upon  the  roof  of  His  Honor's  silk 
hat,  on  its  way  back  into  the  water.  By  the  time  the 
Court  had  regained  consciousness  sufficiently  to  know 
by  what  it  had  been  struck,  the  high-kicker  had  been 
taken  into  the  other  canoe,  and  it  was  too  late  for  the 
judge  to  take  off  his  hat  and  hold  it  up  a  trifle  higher 
in  the  air  to  challenge  a  better  record.  A  fish  that 
was  being  played  by  Mr.  Chase  in  the  Ouiatchouan 
pool  came  within  a  few  inches  of  leaping  into  the 
canoe  of  his  friend  Mr.  Wallace.  We  were  short  of 
both  guides  and  canoes  on  that  occasion,  and  I  started 
out  to  fish  in  an  old  punt  that  was  manipulated  for 
me  by  a  stalwart  young  French-Canadian  {Jtahltavt). 
"When  I  struck  my  first  fish  he  rushed  the  boat  toAvards 
it  in  such  an  unexpected  manner  that  myself  and  my 
foe  had  parted  company  as  suddenly  as  we  had  met. 
Really  chagrined  at  my  loss  and  disappointment,  my 
attendant  promised  to  do  better  next  time,  and  to 
particularly  avoid  being  the  cause  of  giving  the  fish  a 
slack  line.  Little  did  I  dream  of  his  intentions.  My 
next  fish  rose  pretty  near  the  boat,  and  darted  for  it 
as  soon  as  he  felt  the  hook.  "B'tiste"  stretched  out 
his  hand  in  the  twinkling  of  an  eve  to  take  hold  of  the 
line  and  haul  up  the  fish,  hand  overhand,  and  the  cer- 
tain loss  of  both  fish  and  cast  was  only  averted  by  a 


70  ANGLING    FOR   OUANANICHE 

^apid  run  of  the  former  in  a  contrjiry  direction.  I 
could  see  that  he  was  a  large  fish,  and  was  natui'ally 
anxious  to  save  him.  It  was  certain  that  I  was  not 
going  to  doit  from  the  punt  with  the  assistance  of  my 
green  guide.  He  was  of  too  active  and  excitable  a 
temperament  to  remain  a  passive  spectator  of  the  strug- 
gle. Tiiere  was  only  one  thing  to  be  done,  and  that 
was  to  land  and  fight  my  fish  from  terra  firma.  So, 
pointing  towards  the  pretty,  sloping  beach  on  the  west 
side  of  the  pool,  I  gave  the  order  "  a  terre^''  and  towed 
my  fish  behind  me,  giving  him  line  when  necessary,  un- 
til I  stepped  from  the  boat  upon  the  beach.  Even  when 
attended  by  the  most  skilful  guides  under  other  cir- 
cumstances— such,  for  instance,  as  when  fighting  a  very 
heavy  fish,  or  after  having  successfully  hooked  a  couple 
at  a  cast — I  have  often  found  myself  repaid  for  the 
trouble  of  towing  the  fish  from  where  they  were  hooked 
by  having  the  guide  paddle  me  ashore  and  of  finishing 
the  fight  from  a  rock  or  beach.  There  is  thus  avoided, 
too,  the  prolonged  disturbance  of  a  good  pool,  and 
consequent  frightening  of  the  remaining  lisli.  J3ut  re- 
venons  a  nos  nioutons — or,  rather,  to  our  ouananiche! 
After  some  ten  minutes  of  good,  strong  play,  now  in 
deep  water  and  now  leaping  above  its  surface,  my  fish 
showed  signs  of  exhaustion,  and  was  gradually  led  up 
close  to  where  my  man  stood,  landing-net  in  hand, 
ready  to  lift  him  from  the  water.  By  the  wild  shot 
be  made  with  the  net  directly  for  the  tail  end  of  the 
ouananiche,  it  was  soon  mad.  evident  tluit  he  knew  as 
little  of  its  use  as  of  that  of  fine  fishirg-tackle.  An- 
other lecture  to  "B'tiste,"  and  another  small  struggle 
with  *\\Q  fish,  which  was  now  coming  in  partly  upon 


ANGLING   FOR   OUANAXICHE  71 

its  side,  and  the  former  made  a  number  of  further 
"  dabs  "  for  the  ouananiche,  wliich,  though  intended  to 
take  it  into  the  net  head  first,  came  so  near  to  smasli- 
ing  the  line  that  ho  was  promjitl}-,  and,  I  fear,  some- 
wliat  angrily,  ordered  to  lay  down  the  net  altogether. 
My  friends  in  their  canoes  and  upon  the  ojiposite  shore, 
attracted  by  the  noisv  talk — for  it  was  necessary  to 
order  "  B'tiste "  pretty  loudly  before  he  could  be  in- 
duced to  withdraw  from  the  strugole — called  over  to 
me  to  take  the  net  myself.  I  should  have  done  so, 
too,  had  not  something  else  happened  in  much  less  time 
than  it  takes  to  describe  it.  No  sooner  had  my  guide 
thrown  down  the  net  than  he  had  rushed  into  the  water 
behind  my  fish,  though  it  reached  above  the  top  of 
his  long-legged  boots.  One  forward  movement  upon, 
the  already  ])layed-out  ouananiche,  and  a  couple  of 
rapid  kicks  had  done  the  lest.  Tiie  fish  had  been  lit- 
erally kicked  out  of  its  native  element,  and  "  IVtiste" 
was  holding  it  up  proudly  with  both  hands,  amid  the 
perfect  yells  of  laughter  that  came  from  the  onlook- 
ers, as  much  as  to  say,  "The  end  justifies  the  means,"' 
and  "  He  laughs  best  who  laughs  last."  "  ] Vtiste's  " 
method  of  landing  ouananiche  is  so  unusual  that  I  am 
glad  to  have  been  able  to  give  the  names  of  those  who 
witnessed  it. 

In  one  season,  when  the  spring  fisliing  for  ouana- 
niche was  good  about  the  mouths  of  the  IMetabet- 
chouan  and  Ouiatchouan  as  early  as  the  second  week 
of  May,  splendid  sport  was  had  at  Ouellet's  by  Mr. 
George  E.  Hart,  of  Waterbury,  Conn.,  ]\[r.  Durand, 
of  Newark,  K.  J.,  and  ])arty.  This  fishing  ceases  al- 
most as  soon  as  the  spring  floods  terminate  and  the 


73  ANGLING    FOR   OUANANICIIE 

waters  of  the  lake  commence  to  fall.  The  subsidence 
of  the  water  is  very  rapid,  and  usually  within  three 
or  four  days  of  the  end  of  the  spring  fishing  at  Ouiat- 
cliouan  it  is  quite  good  in  the  rapid  waters  at  the  com- 
mencement of  the  Grande  Dechai'ge,  and  may  be  had 
there  under  varying  conditions  until  the  commence- 
ment of  the  close  season  on  the  15th  of  September. 
But  it  is  not  usually  so  good  there  as  it  is  in  the  riv- 
ers after  about  the  middle  of  July,  and  the  best 
of  it  is  always  to  be  had  from  about  the  15th  of 
June  to  the  10th  or  15th  of  July,  according  to  the 
season,  though  there  was  average  fishing  in  the  Dis- 
charo-e  in  1891:  as  earlv  as  June  3d,  and  with  Mr. 
rio\d,  of  Boston,  and  Mr.  John  AVallace,  I  had  good 
sport  around  the  grande  chute  in  1S93  on  the  11th  and 
12th  of  June.  Along  with  Captain  E.  T.  Eose  and  the 
Lady  Cecilia  Hose  I  enjoyed  ouananiche  fishing  there 
in  1892  in  the  month  of  July,  though  after  the  ear- 
ly part  of  the  month  the  general  run  of  the  fish,  as  a 
rule,  is  smaller.  Before  descrii)ing  its  fishing  at  greater 
length,  the  Grande  Decharge  is  itself  entitled  to  more 
generous  notice  than  the  mere  passing  mention  of  its 
name.  It  is  reached  from  Roberval,  the  present  north- 
ern terminus  of  the  railroad,  by  a  beautiful  steamboat 
trip  directly  across  Lake  St.  John  from  west  to  east, 
a  distance  of  some  twentv-fivo  miles,  which  is  made 
by  the  powerful  steamer  j\[ld<tssini  in  about  an  hour 
and  a  half.  It  is  at  the  liead  of  this  "  discharge  "  that 
the  surplus  waters  of  the  great  inland  sea  are  poured 
out  into  a  variety  of  channels,  separated  by  numerous 
islands,  and,  many  miles  below,  after  encountering  the 
violent  obstacles  to  their  descent  that  are  answerable 


ANGLING   FOR   OUANANICIIE  78 

for  the  wild  grandeur  of  their  rapids,  are  reunited  in 
the  bed  of  the  Sagucnay.  litre,  in  the  Discharge,  the 
dismal  "river  of  death,"  as  Bayard  Taylor  calls  the 
lower  Saguenay,  draws  the  bright  beginning  of  its 
early  gladsome  existence.  To  repeat  \vhat  I  have  al- 
ready said  elsewhere  :  "  What  a  contrast  between  the 
Stvii^ian  darknesi'j  of  its  latter  end  and  the  brio-ht 
young  life  that  s])rings  into  existence  from  the  nat- 
ure-enforced afliinity  and  commingling  upon  the  ele- 
vated bed  of  Lake  St.  John  of  its  parent  streams!  As 
men  and  women  love  life  rather  than  death,  and  the 
brightness  and  freshness  of  youth  rather  than  the  ever- 
present  shadows  upon  the  hither  bank  of  the  dark 
river,  it  is  not  strange  that  they  should  gladly  turn 
from  the  deathdike  silence,  albeit  majesty  and  gran- 
deur, of  the  lower  Saguenay,  wonderful  and  awe- 
inspiring  though  they  be,  to  the  union  of  its  parent 
streams  at  Lake  St.  John  where  all  is  merry  as  a 
wedding-bell ;  and  to  the  prattling  and  the  babbling  of 
the  new-born  river  as  it  issues  from  the  bed  of  the 
lake,  and  hastens  through  a  brief  and  tranquil  infancy 
towards  a  lusty  youth,  there  to  gambol  and  leap  in  frol- 
icsome display,  choosing  for  itself  a  rough  and  rugged 
road,  heedless  of  the  rocks  that  it  encounters  on  its 
way ;  now  basking  in  pleasure  and  sunlight,  regardless 
of  the  coming  night;  now  flashing,  dashing,  crashing 
over  precipitous  declines,  or  gliding  with  thought-be- 
guiling rapidity  towards  an  inevitable  fall.  Nature 
is  here  all  vocal  with  melody.  She  disports  herself 
in  various  moods.  She  touches  with  her  breath  the 
chords  of  the  ajolian  lyre  that  she  has  strung  upon  the 
branches  of  the  plaintive  pine,  prattles  in  the  language 


74  ANG^/ING   FOR  OUANANICIIE 

of  the  babbling  brook,  sings  to  the  gentle  swaying  of 
the  forest-trees,  moans  in  the  wandering  wind  o'er  the 
surface  of  the  lake,  and  roars  in  the  not  far-distant 
■waterfall  and  in  the  rapidly  approaching  storm.  She 
finds  a  voice  in  the  clatter  of  the  squirrel,  in  the  drum 
of  tlie  partridge,  and  the  bark  of  the  fox.  She  has  an 
innumerable  variety  of  feathered  choristers,  and  there 
is  music  in  the  splashing  of  the  leaping  fish  at  j^lay, 
and  in  the  rustled  twigs  and  crashing  branches  that 
speak  of  the  flight  from  the  presence  of  his  sovereign, 
man,  of  some  frighted  denizen  of  the  woods." 

Such  is  the  discharge  of  Lake  St.  John,  and  such  the 
scenes  experienced  upon  its  shores  or  from  many  of  the 
thousand  islands  with  Avhich  it  is  stuikled.  The  larg- 
est of  these  is  Alma  Island,  and  is  delta-shaped.  It  is 
three  miles  across  where  it  faces  towards  the  lake,  and 
nine  miles  long.  Between  it  and  Lake  St.  John  are 
several  islands  of  varying  size,  and  numerous  others 
are  scattered  in  the  main  channel  of  the  discharge, 
which  is  upon  its  northerly  side.  This  great,  wild, 
island-doited  stream  is  locally  known  as  the  "  Grande 
Decharge,"  meaning  "  great  discharge,"  while  the  name 
"Petite  Decharge"  is  given  to  tiie  smaller  channel  on 
the  south  side  of  Alma.  The  hundreds  of  different 
currents  and  rapids  that  dash  about  and  between  the 
various  islands  of  the  Decharo^e  o-jve  rise  to  innumer- 
able  pools,  sometimes  protected  by  points  of  tlie  shore 
line  or  islands,  from  which  thev  mav  be  advantajxe- 
ously  fished,  at  others  expanding  into  lake-like  dimen- 
sions, as  in  the  case  of  those  between  the  yrande  chute 
and  C"nip  Scott.  Even  these  may,  in  places,  be  ad- 
vantageously fished  from  the  rocks,  and  especially  the 


ANGLING    FOR    OUANANICIIE  75 

splendid  pools  of  Mr.  W.  A.  Griffiths,  on  the  south 
side  of  the  Decharge.  But  many  of  the  best  fishing- 
places,  both  here  and  upon  the  opposite  side,  can  be  most 
successfully  reached  by  means  of  a  canoe.  Nothing 
but  a  birch-bark  or  Peterboro  canoe  can  be  safely  used 
in  the  rapid  waters  of  the  Grande  Decharge,  and  both 
French-Canadian  and  Monta":nais  (guides  confine  them- 
selves  exclusively  to  the  use  of  the  former.  It  is  a 
thrilling  sensation  to  shoot  the  rapids  in  these  frail 
craft,  and  to  feel  that  nothing  but  a  sheet  of  birch- 
bark  and  the  untutored  skill  of  your  dusky  guides  stand 
between  you  and  eternity.  But  they  are  wonderfully 
clever,  these  guides,  and  it  is  a  constant  marvel  to 
those  who  visit  these  waters  for  the  first  time  to  note 
the  consummate  tact  and  ability  with  which  they 
navigate  the  most  treacherous  currents  and  violent 
rapids,  sometimes  cutting  oji  Avitli  their  paddles  the 
top  of  an  advancing  wp.,e,  at  others  holding  back  the 
canoe  in  the  hollow  of  a  rapid  until  the  moment  is 
propitious  for  shooting  out  of  it,  or  perhaps  again  lift- 
ing i .  up  sideways  to  the  crest  of  a  favorable  roll  of 
watf . .  In  many  waters  the  angler  has  but  one  guide. 
At  the  Grande  Decharge,  and  in  the  ascent  of  the 
various  tributaries  of  Lake  St.  John,  two  are  abso- 
lutely necessary.  It  would  be  certain  death  for  one 
man  to  attempt  to  guide  a  loaded  canoe  in  these  heavy 
rapids ;  and,  besides  this,  one  man  has  almost  all  he  can 
do  to  carry  the  canoe  itself  over  the  portages,  while 
the  other  is  required  to  convey  provisions  and  bag- 
gage. 

The  new  arrival  at  the  Grande  Decharge  is  landed 
from  the  steamer  upon  one  of  the  first  islands  reached 


76  ANGLING    FOR   OUANANICIIE 

from  Vie  lake,  and  the  site  of  the  only  hotel  in  the 
neighborhood.  Here  guides  and  canoes  may  be  ob- 
tained, and  in  the  adjacent  waters  may  be  had  the 
ea/liest  spring  fishing  of  the  Decharge  and  the  latest 
in  the  autumn.  When  the  ouananiche  will  not  rise 
here,  during  the  season,  to  the  fly,  they  may  almost 
always  be  lured  by  bait  and  a  spoon.  But  with  the 
latter,  one  is  apt  also,  at  any  time,  to  hook  the  im- 
mense pike  {Esox  hicius)  with  which  Lake  St.  John 
abounds,  and  which  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Island  House 
are  frequently  taken  from  ten  to  twenty  pounds  in 
weight.  In  other  parts  of  the  lake,  and  in  some  of 
its  tributaries,  they  have  been  caught  up  to  fifty 
pounds.  The  ouananiche  taken  in  the  extreme  upper 
waters  of  the  Decluirge  do  not  usually  afford  the  most 
desirable  sport  in  the  killing,  even  when  taken  upon 
the  fly.  The  strongest  fighters  must  be  sought  in  the 
vicinity  of  heavier  and  swifter  water,  such  as  that  to 
be  found  in  the  rapids  and  below  the  grande  rJiu.te. 

This  last  is  a  heavy,  perpendicular  waterfall  some 
fifteen  to  twenty  feet  high  in  the  spring  of  the  year, 
and  reaching  directly  across  the  Grande  Decharge, 
some  two  to  three  miles  distant  from  the  margin  of 
Lake  St.  John.  Ko  matter  upon  which  side  the  de- 
scent of  the  rapids  be  made,  the  grande  chute  must  of 
course  be  portaged  around,  and  so,  except  in  low 
Avater,  must  a  portion  of  the  dangerous  rapids  above 
it.  But  from  the  rocks  along  the  portage  on  the  north 
shore  good  fly-fishing  may  often  be  had  in  a  number 
of  attractive  pools  among  the  rapids.  Here  it  was 
my  good  luck,  on  the  11th  of  June,  IS'JS,  to  have  the 
first  fiy-lishing  of  the  season  at  the  Grande  Decharge. 


ANGLING   FOR    OUANANICIIE  77 

Almost  at  the  first  cast  I  had  hooked  and  subsequently 
landed,  after  ten  minutes'  good  sport  and  with  a  fairly 
stiff  eiglit-ounce  lancewood  rod  made  in  Canada,  a 
light  live-pounder,  when  the  same  liy,  the  dropper — a 
Silver  Doc*:or  tied  upon  a  iSo.  3  hook — was  again  seized 
by  an  exceedingly  combative  fish  in  heavy  water, 
which  ran  out  promptly  such  a  length  of  line  in  the 
direction  of  an  overhanging  tree  that  he  was  promptly 
given  the  butt,  when  the  line  came  back  with  a  dis- 
appointing jerk  that  plainly  told  of  a  break.  The 
fish  had  been  too  violent!}'-  checked,  and  the  cast  (a 
new  one)  had  parted  just  above  the  fastening  of  the 
dropper  fly.  "  Cest  un  gros,  gros .'"'  cried  out  Paul 
Savard  the  guide  and  one  of  the  Indians  in  unison. 
"  Qui,  quatre  on  cinq  livres  je  sitjypose,"^  I  muttered, 
disgusted  with  my  luck  and  ashamed  of  the  thought- 
less impetuosity  which  had  lost  me  what  I  believed 
to  be  even  a  bigger  fish  than  I  had  said.  ^^  Sac?'e, 
c'est  mi  huit  ou  dix  livres,^''  put  in  the  guides,  and  I 
was  in  no  mood  to  question  their  estimate  of  the 
weiglit  of  the  freed  fish.  Accepting  it,  I  could  say 
that  I  had,  at  least,  met  and  fought  a  monster  ouan- 
aniche,  even  if  I  had  come  off  second  best  in  the  en- 
counter. After  all,  the  guides  were  more  experienced 
in  guessing  the  size  of  the  fish  in  the  Avater  than  I  was, 
especially  of  those  that  got  away,  and,  besides,  there 
was  less  discretlit  in  being  defeated  and  having  my  line 
smashed  up  by  an  eight  or  ten  pound  ouananiche  than 
by  one  of  four  or  five  pounds  o\\\y.  Paul  had  tied 
another  "  Doctor  "  on  to  my  cast,  and  I  was  wonder- 
ing whether  that  pool  (we  were  fisliing  off  the  rocks 
half-way  down  the  mainland  })ortage)  contained  any 


78  ANGLING    FOli   OUANANICIIE 

more  ten  -  pounders,  when  there  was  a  splash  on  the 
surface  of  the  water,  and  whirr-r  went  the  reel  again. 
There  was  no  inulue  checking  this  time,  but  there 
were  fifteen  minutes  of  delightful  sport,  and  an  ex- 
clamation of  surprise  from  Paul  as  he  lifted  a  hand- 
some four-and-a-half-pound  fish  from  the  landing-net, 
for  stuck  in  his  mouth  was  my  recently  lost  dropper  and 
the  missing  portion  of  my  cast !  There  is  work  upon  the 
imagination  of  many  an  angler  and  many  a  guide  for 
the  official  inspector  of  weights  and  measures !  IMy 
old  guide,  Johnny  Morel,  took  an  eight-pound  ouana- 
nicho  that  dav  with  bait,  fishing  from  the  same  rock 
below  the  gmmle  chute  where  Dr.  AVebb,  of  New 
York,  kite  in  the  preceding  summer,  had  taken  one 
of  similar  weight  which  required  over  an  hour  to 
kill,  and  which  had  risen  to  a  fly  tied  upon  a  No. 
8  hook.  AVe  went  down  there  the  next  day,  Mr. 
Wallace  killed  a  number  of  splendid  fish,  but  had  his 
grandest  sport  with  a  five-pounder  which  gave  him 
forty  minutes  of  steady  play.  Its  leaps  were  simply 
beautiful,  and  at  one  time  it  ran  out  with  fully  eighty 
feet  of  line.  And  Mr.  Floyd  had  good  reason  to  think 
that  he  had  hooketl  a  whale.  His  fiy  was  seized  be- 
low the  surface  of  the  water  by  a  fish  that  fought  so 
much  like  a  heavv  salmon  that  it  seemed  as  if  he  had 
hooked  an  exceptionally  large  ouananiche.  For  an 
hour  and  twenty  minutes  Mr.  Floyd  played  that  fish 
as  hard  as  he  dared  to  risk  his  tackle,  before  it  was 
brought  to  the  net,  when  it  proved  to  be  a  five-and- 
a-half- pound  ouananiche  that  was  hooked  foul.  Had 
that  fish  got  off  near  the  close  of  the  fight  it  would 
undoubtedl}'^  have  passed  for  a  ten  or  twelve  pounder. 


ANGLING    FOR   OUANANICHE  79 

Lieutenant-Colonel  Andrew  Haggard,  D.S.O.,  who 
in  company  with  his  brother  ^^ider  has  lished  most  of 
the  Scotch  salmon  and  sea-trout  waters,  and  many  of 
those  of  Norwav,  was  struck  with  the  resemblance  of 
the  ouananiche  of  the  Grand  Decharge  to  the  Scotch 
sea-trout.  I  recjUled  his  conversation  on  this  point 
the  other  day  when  I  read,  in  a  letter  from  Dr.  J.  D. 
(^uackenbos  to  Mr.  Cheney,  which  the  latter  printed 
in  Forest  ami  Stream,  the  following  description  of  the 
Loch  Leven  trout  {Farlo  Uvenensu),  which  tlie  pro- 
fessor has  transj)lanted  into  some  of  his  own  waters: 

"  So  like  iire  the  young  and  adult  Loch  Levens  to  our  hmdlockeu 
salmon  that  many  anglers  l)elieve  a  Loch  Levon  trout  is  often  fast 
when  the  exciting  cry  of  'Salmon  !  salmon  !'  from  the  fishing  fleet 
greets  tiie  first  frenzied  leap  of  a  supposed  ouananiche  pierced  by 
the  lucky  steel.  One  Scottish  autiioritj'  unhesitatingly  declares  the 
Loch  Leven  trout  to  be  a  landlocked  salmon  dwarfed  to  its  present 
proportions  in  its  shallow  miniature  ocean.  But  I  believe  it  to  bo 
a  landlocked  sea-trout.  With  its  purplish-silver  back  and  silver}' 
sides  starred  with  X  and  XX  spots,  it  so  closely  resembles  the  well- 
known  migratory  Salnio  triittd,  that  foreign  exi)crts  commonly  fail 
to  distinguish  between  the  two  fish.  The  fin-ray  fornmla  is  iden- 
tical in  each.  Moreover,  sea-trout  that  have  been  confined  in  fresh 
water  are  absolutely  indistinguishable  from  the  true  Fario  levciie/i- 
^is." 

Ouananiche?  Or  what?  And  who  that  has  met 
and  fought  the  ouananiche  of  Canadian  waters  will 
not  identify  a  near  relative  of  the  fish  in  the  follow- 
ing description  by  Dr.  Quackenbos  of  the  sport  afford- 
ed by  the  fishing  in  Loch  Leven : 

"  There  is  as  much  difference  betAveen  the  killing  of  one  of  these 
sublime  fish  and  the  suffocating  of  an  ordinary  brown  trout  as  there 
is  between  the  conquest  of  our  ouananiche  and  the  potting  of  a 
sucker.     In  full  view  of  the  castled  isle  of  Mary  Stuart,  one  casts 


80  ANGLING    FOE   OFANANICIIE 

his  delicate  flies  deftly  knotted  on  tlie  most  invisible  of  put.  As  he 
floats  towards  the  suggestive  ruin, the  scenes  iu  Queen  Clary's  event- 
ful life  flit  before  h;;n — from  her  youth,  whoso  rare  beauty  is  im- 
mortalized in  the  Oikney  portrait,  to  the  beginning  of  the  end, 
■when,  ciiargcd  with  complicity  in  the  murder  of  Daniley,  she  was 
committed  to  Loch  Leven  Castle  in  1507  ;  to  her  escape  the  follow- 
ing spring  with  the  aid  of  'Little  Douglas,'  who  yielded  to  the 
power  of  her  resistless  charms ;  to  the  revolting  murder  tlnit  closed 
her  career  in  1587,  and  the  agony  so  inimitably  expressed  in  the 
livid  pallor  and  contracted  features  of  the  Abbotsford  painting  of 
the  queen's  head  after  decollation — hut  look  !  that  gleam  through 
a  wave's  crest  I  that  flash  of  bluish  silver  beneath  f'  flies,  like  the 
sudden  blaze  of  an  old-mine  diamond  !  Instinctively  your  wrist 
turns,  and  the  bail)  of  your  tiny  hook  is  set  in  tlie  lip  of  a  one-and- 
a  half  pound  Loch  Leven  trout.  The  moment  you  have  dreamed  of 
for  years  has  come  at  last.  Be  cautions,  for  your  tackle  is  reflned 
to  the  utmost,  and  your  fish  is  llie  prince  of  finny  diplomats.  His 
first  rush  is  towards  tlie  drifting  boat.  '  Catch  the  pirn!'  cries  tlie 
watcliful  oarsman,  and  in  response  you  reel  madly  on  the  slack  and 
lead  your  fish  successfully  past  the  bow.  Who  but  a  lover  of  the 
angle  can  conceive  of  tlie  exalted  thrill  which  a(;companied  the  rush 
of  that  tn  ut  at  the  descending  'teal  and  red' — who  else, that  erethism, 
short-lived,  unearthly,  that  electrified  every  nerve  in  your  frame  as 
you  twisted  the  steel  into  his  jaw  ard  felt  him  'fast'— that  con- 
centration of  delight  in  the  struggle  tliau.  ioUowed,  wherein  the  no- 
blest fish  that  Goil  has  made  matched  his  brute  intellect,  perhaps 
his  manifold  experience,  against  your  reason  and  art;  wherein  your 
wand  like  Leonard  gracefully  responded  to  his  desperate  leaps  for 
life,  and  arched  in  perfection  to  his  wild  circles.  Who  but  an  an- 
gler knows  of  the  sweet  calm  tliat  followed  victory,  as  you  tenderly 
placed  your  dying  captive  on  the  skiff  l)ottom,  and,  wearied  by  the 
excitement,  sat  down  to  watch  his  brilliance  fade,  with  the  feeling 
that  if  your  life  were  forthwith  to  end,  you  had  not  altogether  lived 
in  vain." 

Dr.  Knox,  describing  the  Loch  Leven  trout  in  his 
Fish  and  Fishing  in  the  Lone  Glens  of  Scotland,  says : 

"It  is  a  beautiful,  silvery,  dark-spotted  trout,  of  a  species  quite 
distinct  from  all  river-trout,  and  imagined  by  some  to  be  peculiar 


ANGLING    FOR   OUANANICIIE  81 

to  the  lake.  This,  however,  is  not  likelj',  since  trout  quite  lesem- 
biiii<5  those  of  Leven  are  found  iu  many  Northern  lakes.  Tlie  tlesli 
is  of  a  fine  pink  color,  the  eating  admirable.  During  summer  and 
autumn,  when  examined  (and  I  have  opened  liundreds  to  ascertaiu 
tlie  fact)  tlie  trout  has  its  stomacli  tilled  ■with  ilies  and  insects,  the 
ordinary  food  of  tlie  common  river-trout;  but,  in  addition,  it  is  often 
found  to  have  been  living  cm  a  small  buccinum,  or  fresh-water  whelk, 
with  which  the  shallow  waters  of  the  lake  abound." 

This  ouananiche-like  lish  must  not  be  confounded 
with  another  resident  of  Loch  Leven  —  also  distinct 
from  the  common  river-trout — called  by  Dr.  Knox  the 
char-trout,  and  which  lives  on  ciitomostraat',  and  comes 
into  season  in  December,  Januai-y,  and  February. 
The  Loch  Leven  trout  proper,  like  the  ouananiche, 
resemble  the  salmon  in  their  habits;  for  in  autumn, 
or  at  the  approach  of  winter,  they  leave  the  lake  for 
the  streams  which  feed  it,  returning,  no  doubt,  early 
in  spring.  The  splendid  peculiarities  of  this  near 
Scotch  relative  of  the  Canadian  ouananiche  were  not 
unknown  to  Sir  Walter  Scott,  who  introduces  the  sub- 
ject of  the  Loch  Leven  trout  in  Chapter  XXIY.  of  Tlie 
Allot,  in  an  ideal  conversation  between  Queen  Mary 
Stuart  and  Eoland  Gramme,  as  follows : 

"  With  the  peculiar  tact  and  delicacy  which  no  woman  possessed 
iu  greater  perfection,  she  [Queen  Mary]  began  to  .soothe  by  degrees 
tlie  vexed  spirit  of  the  magnanimous  attendant.  Tlie  excellence  of 
the  flsh  he  had  taken  iu  his  expedition,  the  high  flavor  and  beau- 
tiful red  color  of  the  trout  which  have  long  given  distinction  to 
the  lake,  led  ner  first  to  express  her  thanks  to  her  attendant  for  so 
agreeable  an  addition  to  her  table,  especially  upon  a  jour  de  jeune  ; 
and  thus  brought  on  inquiries  into  the  place  where  the  fish  had 
been  taken,  their  size,  their  peculiarities,  the  times  when  they  were 
in  season,  and  a  comparison  between  the  Loch  Leven  trouts  and 
those  which  are  found  in  the  rivers  and  lakes  of  the  south  of  Scot- 
c 


83  ANGLING    FOR   OUANANICIIR 

land.  The  ill-humor  of  Kolaiid  Grrcine  was  iiuver  of  ati  ohslinnte 
chamcter.  It  rolled  away  like  u  mist  before  the  sun,  and  he  was 
easily  enifagod  in  a  new  and  aninialed  dissertation  about  Loch 
Lcvcn  trout,  and  sea-trout,  and  river-trout,  and  nnl  trout,  and  char, 
which  never  rise  to  a  tly  ;  and  parr,  which  some  suppose  infant 
salmon  ;  and  hirling-s,  which  frcipient  tlie  Frith  ;  and  vendaces, 
wiucli  are  only  found  in  the  Castle  Loch  of  Loehmaben."' 


Eoland  was  undoubtedly  a  true  Waltonian,  and  the 
Loch  Leven  trout,  like  his  near  l<iiisnian  the  Canadian 
ouananiche,  is  a  lish  lit  for  a  (jueen. 

The  cahn  beauty  of  tlie  crystal  Loch,  with  its  dis- 
mantled anil  storied  castle,  is  in  strange  contrast  with 
the  native  wiklness,  turbulent  grandeur,  and  unknown 
antecedents  of  the  Grande  Decharge  of  Lake  St.  J(jhn. 
AVhat  record  of  heroic  deeds  and  daring  might  not  be 
read,  what  halo  of  romance  be  seen,  could  the  forest- 
crowned  banks  and  rock}^  islets  of  these  impetuous 
rapids  but  unfold  the  story  of  their  long  -  forgotten 
past ! 

It  is  next  to  impossible  to  do  justice  to  the  wild 
grandeur  of  the  scenery  below  the  <jran(le  chute. 
Heavy  gneiss,  hornblende,  and  granite  boulders  are 
scattered  about  on  ev^ery  hand,  and  besides  them  there 
is  nothing  but  water  and  sky  and  virgin  forest  to  be 
seen.  Looking  up  the  Decharge  one  sees  only  the 
I'ush  of  the  rapids  and  the  steady  fall  of  the  grande 
chute,,  while  the  waters  surging  down  below  are  never 
at  rest,  and  the  angler  who  stands  fishing  with  his 
feet  one  moment  upon  a  rock  thirty  inches  above  their 
surface,  ma}',  the  next,  find  himself  more  than  knee- 
deep  in  the  rising  and  falling  swell  produced  by  the 
force  and  volume  of  yonder  chute.     It  is  necessary 


ANGLING    FOB   OUANANICIIE  83 

here  to  be  always  quite  sure  of  one's  footing,  for 
there  are  often  twenty  to  tliirty  feet  of  water  along- 
side the  very  rocks  from  which  the  angler  fishes  his 
pool.  To  add  to  the  wildness  of  the  surroundings 
there  is  the  ever-present  roar  of  the  rapids  that  are 
round  about  on  every  side,  and  the  constant  rumbling 
of  the  grande  chute.  Immense  quantities  of  the  foam, 
churned  up  by  the  rapid  succession  of  violent  falls, 
are  continually  floating  down  the  various  currents  of 
the  stream  in  different-sized  patches,  either  round  and 
round  a  particular  pool,  or  from  one  pool  to  another, 
according  to  the  nature  of  the  currents  that  come 
from  neighboring  rapids,  and  the  effect  of  project- 
ing rocks  and  points  of  land.  When  and  where  this 
foara  or  hrou  abounds  is  usually  to  be  had  the  best 
fishing  for  ouananiche.  The  east  wind  scatters  it, 
and  is  always  an  unfavorable  one  for  the  sport.  It  is 
usually  the  aim  of  the  guides,  in  paddling  the  angler 
through  the  rushing,  whirling,  seething  rapids  of  the 
Grande  Decharge,  to  bring  liim  near  the  edge  of  the 
scum -covered  eddies,  dotted  with  insect  life,  where 
the  hungry  ouananiche  lies  in  ambush  below,  waiting 
to  spring  upon  his  prey  as  soon  as  his  favorite  fly 
floats  around.  Very  often,  however,  the  fish  of  which 
vou  are  in  search  float  about  so  near  to  the  surface 
of  the  water  that  a  number  of  dorsal  and  caudal  fins 
may  be  seen  moving  through  the  creamy  scum  that 
has  come  down  laden  with  insect  life  from  the  over- 
flowing churn  of  yonder  rapids.  This  is  a  sign  that 
the  ouananiche  have  made  a  discovery  and  found 
themselves  so  situated  that  concealment  is  no  longer 
necessary  to  their  selection  of  insect  food.     As  Mr. 


84  ANGLING    FOK   OUANANICHE 

A.  Kelson  Cheney,  one  of  my  angling   companions 
of  August,  189i,  at  the  Grande  Decharge,  so  admira- 
bly described  it,  "  The  thick  foam  is  a  natural  traj) 
for  weak -winged  insects,  where  the  ouananiche  have 
onl}'  to  go  and  take  the  rontents.*'     They  are  as  fort- 
unate as  a  spider  that  can  raid  a  well -stocked  cob- 
web  spun    by  another.     Xo  wonder  that  they  sail 
about  slowly  and  contentedly  amid  such  a  supply  of 
ready -captured   insect   food.     Sometimes   the  most 
tempting  cast  may  be  drawn  several  times  through 
the  foam,  almost  touching  the  backs  or  tails  of  half  a 
dozen  ouananiche  without  attracting  the  notice  of  anv 
of  them.    But  usually,  under  the  conditions  described, 
a  well-directed  cast  will  not  fail  of  a  rise,  and  occa- 
sionally there  will  be  a  couple.     If  the  canoe  men 
know  their  business  and  avoid  paddling  through  the 
scum,  but  rather  assist  the  angler  in  towing  his  fish 
where  he  can  light  it  without  disturbing  the  water  in 
which  it  was  hooked,  some  dozens  of  them  may  be 
taken  out  of  the  same  pool  in  a  single  day.     But  one 
may  count  without  his  host,  and  on  very  fine  tackle 
it  is  not  always  easy  to  lead  a  fresh-hooked  ouananiche 
where  he  does  not  wish  to  follow — not,  at  all  events, 
without  having  recourse  to  a  very  great  deal  of  i^er- 
suasion  with  the  butt-end  of  the  rod.    In  these  waters, 
in  the  month  of  June,  the  ouananiche  is  about  at  his 
best  in  point  of  gameness.     There  are  Avilder  waters 
and  just  as  heavy  fish  in  the  Isle  Maligne  Ilapids,  but 
these  cannot  be  reached  at  all  in  the  spring  of  the 
year;  and  I  have  had  grand  fights  with  large  fish  botii 
at  the  Fifth  Falls  of  the  Mistassini  and  below  the 
Devil's  Falls   of  the   Peribonca,  but  always  nearer 


ANGLING    FOK   OUANANICIIE  83 

spawning-time  than  tlie  month  of  June.  There  is  no 
doubt  that  a  great  deal  of  exaggeration  has  been  in- 
dulged in  respecting  the  difficulties  of  ouananiche 
fishing ;  and  that  whatever  the  cause  may  be,  there  is 
a  vast  amount  of  difference  between  the  sport  afford- 
ed by  different  specimens  of  the  fish,  often  even  when 
they  are  similar  in  size  and  taken  out  of  the  same 
water.  Occasionally,  but  not  often,  unless  it  be  a  very 
small  one,  a  ouananiche  may  be  hooked  and  landed 
without  having  leaped  out  of  the  water  at  all.  Others, 
again,  and  sometimes  heavy  fish,  content  themselves 
with  leaping  and  struggling  hard  and  valiantly,  but 
without  running  out  much,  if  any,  line  from  the  reel. 
These  are,  of  course,  exceptional  cases ;  and  the  angler 
who  has  had  any  extended  experience  of  the  fish, 
who  has  fought  and  killed  any  large  number  of 
them  in  the  heavv  waters  of  the  Grande  Decharcre, 
will  know  something  of  the  many-sidedness  of  the 
sport,  and  be  ready  to  concede  that  at  least  the  pleas- 
urable emotions  Avhich  it  causes  the  angler  cannot 
well  be  exaggerated.  In  the  vicinity  of  these  rapids, 
the  fish  can  know  nothing  of  the  life  of  indolence  and 
luxurious  ease  that  conduces  to  enervation  and  effemi- 
nacy. The  very  excitement  and  unrest  of  their  sur- 
roundings render  inactivity  impossible  to  them,  while 
the  physical  exertion  necessarily  employed  in  their 
constant  struggles  amid  the  mighty  forces  of  those 
turbulent  waters  insures  for  them  the  possession  of 
that  courage,  agility,  and  strength  that  make  them 
the  recognized  champions  of  the  finny  warriors  of 
Canadian  waters.  In  proportion  to  their  avoirdupois 
they  can  do  more  tackle-smashing  than  any  other  fish 


86  ANGLING    FOR   OUANANICIIE 

that  swims.  Tlieir  leaps  are  prodigious.  Habituated 
to  overcome  obstacles  to  their  progress  up-stream  by 
throwinf;:  themselves  over  them  through  the  air,  their 
skvward  somersaults  and  aerial  contortions,  when 
hooked,  leave  the  angler  little  leisure  for  contempla- 
tion while  the  struggle  is  in  progress.  "When  it  is 
understood  that  a  ouananiche  of  five  pounds'  weight 
will  frequently  leap  three  feet  or  more  out  of  water 
in  his  endeavor  to  get  free,  and  perhaps  a  dozen  times 
in  succession,  some  idea  may  be  formed  of  the  skill 
that  is  necessary  to  bring  him  safely  to  the  net.  He 
is  so  good  a  game-fish,  and  comparisons  are  so  odious, 
that  it  is  unnecessary  to  further  bolster  up  his  splen- 
did reputation  by  assailing  that  of  his  bigger  and, 
from  all  accounts,  very  respectable  brother  of  Maine. 
I  leave  the  treatment  of  the  Maine  fish  to  those  who 
have  met  and  fought  it,  and  refer  only  to  such  facts 
concerning  it  as  have  never,  to  my  knowledge,  been 
questioned.  It  certainly  has  the  advantage  of  weight 
in  its  favor,  and  with  equally  favorable  conditions  of 
environment,  particularly  those  of  low  temperature 
and  rapid  water,  ought  to  be  at  least  as  good  a  game- 
fish  as  the  Canadian  ouananiche.  Many  who  know  it 
well,  and  others  who  don't  know  it  at  all  exce})t  from 
hearsay,  declare  that  it  is  not.  Into  the  merits  of  the 
dispute — for  the  result  of  the  comparison  has  been 
disputed — I  hxive  no  desire  to  enter;  but  I  must  not 
by  silence  leave  it  to  be  inferred  that  I  am  of  those 
who  believe  in  any  difference  between  the  Lake  St. 
John  fish  and  those  of  Maine,  consequent  upon  their 
alleged  difference  in  habits.  Plant  the  Maine  ouana- 
niche  in  Lake  St.  John  waters,  and  within  two  gen- 


ANGLING    FOR   OUANANICIIE  87 

erations  it  will  possess  and  exhibit  all  the  qualities  of 
the  Canadian  tish,  and  vice  vcr.sa.  When  found  in 
deep  northern  Canadian  lakes,  away  from  rapid  wa- 
ter, the  ouananiche  makes  no  such  display  of  agility 
and  cunning  as  he  does  in  the  waters  of  the  Grande 
Decharge,  or  in  similar  rapids  in  the  great  tributaries 
of  Lake  St.  John. 

It  is  not  surprising,  therefore,  that  those  who  have 
only  met  him  in  the  lakes,  where  he  seldom  takes  the 
fly  in  summer,  and  have  had  to  chiefly  fish  for  him 
Avith  the  spoon  or  a  bait,  should  find  him  a  very  differ- 
ent game-fish  from  those  who  have  found  and  met  him 
in  the  rapid  waters  of  the  Decharge.  It  is  apon  the 
basis  of  the  foregoing  that  I  account  for  the  experience 
of  Dr.  Clayton  M.  Daniels,  of  Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  and  a 
party  of  friends,  who  fished  in  the  country  north  of 
Lake  St.  John  during  the  summer  of  1893.  Writing 
me  upon  his  return  to  Buffalo,  under  date  of  August 
26,  1893,  Dr.  Daniels  said :  "We  had  a  splendid  trip 
and  excellent  fishing,  although  the  fly  was  of  little 
use.  We  captured  pike,  ouananiche,  and  trout  in  quan- 
tities, until  the  sport  grew  wearisome,  and  we  returned 
two  days  earlier  than  Avas  at  first  intended.  Our  main 
camp  Avas  at  Lake  Tschotagama.  I  shot  a  bear  in  the 
neck  and  bled  him  badly,  but  he  went  among  the  rocks 
on  a  mountain-side,  and  I  lost  him.  In  regard  to  the 
fighting  qualities  of  the  ouananiche,  I  think  lie  should 
be  third  on  the  list,  believing  trout  and  black  bass 
should  lead  in  the  order  nan.ed."  If  my  own  experi- 
ence of  the  ouananiche  had  been  limited  to  fishing  for 
it  in  Lac  Tschotagama,  Lac  aux  Hats,  and  Lac  a  .lim, 
my  o[)inion  of  its  game  qualities  would  probably  about 


88  ANGLING    FOK    OUANANICHE 

coincide  with  that  expressed  in  the  above  letter.  He 
grows  large,  it  is  true,  in  these  deep  lakes,  and  grows 
fat  as  well — so  fat  from  the  vast  amount  of  fish-food 
upon  Avhich  he  feeds,  that  he  cares  little  for  rising  to 
the  surface  in  search  of  insect  life,  and  so  displays  but 
few  of  those  game  qualities  that  distinguish  him  in  the 
Grande  Decharge  of  Lake  St.  Jolm.  What  les?  suV- 
prisingthan  that  he  should  conduct  himstlf  with  even 
greater  gravity  when  the  conditions  of  his  environ- 
ment are  still  less  conducive  to  ph^^sical  activity? 
That  the  fresh-w^ater  salmon  of  Maine  should  remain 
but  a  few  weeks  during  the  spring  near  the  surface  of 
the  water,  and  then  seek  its  cool  depths  for  the  re- 
mainder of  the  summer,  only  to  be  seduced  from  its 
lair  by  dead  bait  or  a  weighted  fish  or  spoon,  while 
that  of  Lake  St.  John  may  be  found  near  the  surface 
all  the  season  through,  is  altogether  due,  I  believe,  to 
the  difference  in  the  temperature  of  the  water.  This 
Avas  brought  specially  to  my  notice  in  August,  1S04,  by 
my  friend  and  angling  companion  Mr.  A.  N".  Cheney, 
who,  immediately  upon  arriving  at  the  Decharge  and 
placing  his  hand  in  tlie  water,  remarked  upon  its  ex- 
ceptionally low  temperature.  Some  time  after  his  re- 
turn home  Mr.  Cheney  av rote  me  a  letter,  from  Avhicli 
I  extract,  by  permission,  the  following  notes  of  valua- 
ble observations  made  by  him :  "  I  satisfied  m3'self 
witiiin  ten  minutes  of  reaching  the  Grande  Decharge 
wh  v  the  ouananiche  are  taken  at  the  surface  all  through 
the  season  at  Lake  St.  John,  and  why  the  landlocked 
salmon  of  New  England  retire  to  deep  water  in  July 
and  August.  I  believe  it  to  be  simply  a  matter  of 
temperature.    Going  from  the  steamer  to  the  landing 


ANGLING    FOR   OCANANICHE  89 

I  put  my  hand  in  the  water,  and,  though  it  was  the  last 
of  August,  I  think  the  temperature  of  the  water  was 
not  above  54°.  I  tried  to  get  a  thermometer,  but  Mr. 
Patterson  had  none.  Again  and  again  I  tried  the 
water  with  my  hand,  and  it  never  seemed  to  me  over 
52"  to  54°,  so  far  as  I  could  judge.  Since  I  came  home 
I  have  tried  the  water  in  fish-cans  (iced),  and  in  the 
trout-streams  while  planting  salmon,  and  then  tested 
it  with  a  thermometer.  Always  my  guess  was  too  high. 
The  water  was  colder  than  I  thouglit.  I  have  done 
this  repeatedly  to  try  my  judgment.  This  tempera- 
ture business  I  wrote  out  in  full  in  my  note-book 
while  at  the  Grande  Decharge,  as  the  reason  why  the 
ouananiche  are  taken  with  the  fly  at  the  surface,  for  I 
do  not  know  of  any  one  having  mentioned  it.  Further- 
more, I  found  May  flies  in  swarms  bursting  their  cases 
on  the  warm  day  that  I  was  down  below  the  grande 
chute  at  Camp  Scott.  Now  these  flies,  with  us,  rise  in 
June,  I  hare  watched  them  for  3'ears  and  recorded 
their  rise,  but  in  the  Grande  Decharge  they  were  rising 
in  August — almost  on  the  1st  of  September." 

There  is  some  reason  for  believing  that  the  ouana- 
niche of  Maine  and  New  Hampshire  are  capable  of 
affording  much  more  sport  in  the  spring  of  the  year 
than  many  anglers  are  aware  of.  It  is  not  long  ago 
that  a  gentleman  writing  to  Mr.  Cheney  from  the 
University  Club,  New  York  City,  hazarded  the  asser- 
tion that  the  landlocked  salmon  of  New  Hampshire 
and  Maine  lakes  could  be  taken  only  with  live  bait 
or  a  spoon.  In  his  reply  to  this  correspondent,  which 
appeared  in  Forest  and  Stream  of  November  17, 
1894,  Mr.  Cheney  says  that  in  Sunapee  Lake,  land- 


90  ANGLING    FOR   OUANANICHE 

locked  salmon  have  taken  the  fly  when  it  has  been 
offered,  but  that,  so  far  as  he  can  learn,  it  has  rarely 
been  presented  to  the  fish  for  their  acceptance.  In 
May,  after  the  ice  goes  out  of  Sunapee,  and  well  into 
June,  the  landlocked  salmon  are  at  the  surface  of  ^he 
water,  but  nearly  every  one  fislies  for  them  by  cast- 
ing a  smelt  bait  or  trolling  a  spoon,  and  as  this  suf- 
fices to  take  many  fish,  the  fisliermen  are  satisfied 
with  their  methods,  and  the  fly  is  not  cast  for  them 
except  on  rare  occasions.  And  Mr.  Cheney  cites  a 
number  of  instances  in  which  the  fish  liave  risen  to 
the  fly  in  these  lakes,  in  the  month  of  May  and  in 
the  early  part  of  June.  After  that,  they  seek  deeper 
and  cooler  water,  and  the  Canadian  ouananiclie  would 
doubtless  do  the  same  were  it  not  for  the  continued 
low  temperature  of  the  water  which  it  inhabits,  es- 
pecially in  or  near  heavy  rapids. 

On  the  other  hand,  testimon}'-  is  not  wanting  to 
the  game  qualities,  even  in  the  heat  of  August,  of 
the  American  fish  transplanted  into  Canadian  waters. 
I  take  these  paragraphs  from  a  letter  addressed  to 
the  Quebec  Morning  Chronicle  by  Mr.  "W.  P.  Green- 
ough,  of  Portneuf,  P.  Q.,  under  date  of  August  4, 
1895: 

"  Some  of  your  readers  may  be  interested  to  know  llmt  I  am  now- 
assured  that  the  landlocked  salmon,  the  fry  of  which  I  planted  in 
the  spring  of  1893,  have  lived  and  thrived.  Last  week  I  cauglit 
one  of  about  one-half-pound  weight,  and  yesterday  v>ne  of  one  and  a 
half  pounds.  The  first  was  too  small  to  display  very  much  of  the 
characteristic  gameness  of  this  fish,  but  the  latter  was  unmistakable 
in  that  respect,  as  well  as  in  color  and  markings.  His  leaps  out  of 
the  water  and  his  furious  rushes  were  those  of  the  ouananiche  of 
Lake  St.  John.  .  .  .  Three  times  he  jumped  fully  two  feet  into 


ANGLING    FOB   OUANANICHE  91 

the  air.  It  took  me  quite  ten  minutes  to  land  him,  but  of  course 
I  handled  him  very  carefully,  not  wishing  to  risk  the  loss  of  my 
first  good  specimen. 

"  The  half-pound  flsh  was  undoubtedly  of  the  second  generation, 
which  shows  that  this  valuable  game-tish  may  be  introduced  into 
many  Canadian  waters  where  it  has  not  formerly  existed." 

It  is  a  well-established  fact  that  ouananiche  take 
the  fly  all  the  season  through  at  the  Grande  Decharge, 
but  not  so  readily  after  the  middle  of  July  as  before 
it.  All  through  July  and  August,  however,  they  are 
taken  upon  the  surface  in  many  of  the  northern  tribu- 
taries of  Lake  St.  John,  and  here  some  of  the  largest 
specimens  may  be  obtained — fish  Aveighing  from  four 
to  seven  pounds.  Such  fish  may  be  had  in  June  in 
the  Decharge,  five-pounders  being  then  quite  plen- 
tiful and  in  best  condition.  Often  they  may  be  had 
too  in  the  latter  part  of  August.  But  in  the  first 
part  of  that  month  and  the  latter  half  of  July  the 
fish  in  the  Decharge  are  apt  to  run  small,  unless  they 
be  sought  in  still  heavier  water,  some  seven  to  fifteen 
miles  below  the  grande  chute.  A  description  of  these 
waters,  as  well  as  of  those  in  the  great  Northern  woods 
between  lakes  St.  John  and  Mistassini,  will  be  given 
in  the  chapters  devoted  to  canoeing  and  camping 
trips.  Meanwhile  something  must  be  said  of  the  files 
suitable  for  fishing  in  the  Grande  Decharge. 

For  the  June  fishing,  when  the  water  is  high  and 
thickly  colored,  and  the  temperature  somewhat  low, 
nothing  better  can  be  offered  the  ouananiche  than  the 
large  and  gaudy  salmon  and  trout  files  recommended 
for  early  spring  use  in  the  bays  at  the  mouths  of  the 
Ouiatchouan  and  Metabetchouan  rivers.    Under  such 


93  ANGLING    FOE   OUANANICHE 

circumstances  the  fish  seem  to  take  no  notice  of  very 
small  flies ;  not,  at  all  events,  in  the  very  heavy  water 
Avhere  the  lai'gest  fish  are  generally  first  found,  before 
they  grow  somewhat  lazier  and  gradually  go  below — 
in  the  sense  of  farther  down  the  stream  —  to  seek  the 
quiet  contentment  of  the  oily,  scum-covered  pools.  Un- 
der both  these  conditions,  until  the  weather  grows  quite 
hot  and  the  water  somewhat  clear,  tine,  warm  days, 
with  plenty  of  sunshine,  are  the  most  suitable  for  the 
sport,  and  large  flies  the  most  likely  to  attract  large 
fish.  In  fact,  at  such  times,  I  believe  that  the  larger 
the  fly  the  larger  the  fish,  so  long,  of  course,  as  the 
former  is  not  large  enough  to  be  absolutely  refused. 
The  Jock  Scot,  Silver  Doctor,  Green  Drake,  Grizzly 
King,  Seth  Green,  Professor,  and  Coachman,  that  are 
used  in  such  large  sizes  for  this  earliest  fishing,  must 
be  gradually  reduced  in  size,  even  in  the  early  part  of 
July,  as  the  water  grows  clearer  and  lower,  and  the 
temperature  both  of  the  air  and  of  the  water  becomes 
higher.  In  the  latter  part  of  July,  the  ouananiche  in 
the  pools  of  the  Grande  Docharge  has  become  an  epi- 
cure. He  wants  the  daintiest  of  flies,  and  wants  them 
in  small  sizes,  too.  If  two  flies  are  used,  the  tail  one 
ma}''  be  a  Silver  Doctor  or  Jock  Scot  tied  on  a  No. 
8  hook.  The  dropper  may  be  an  equally  small 
Professor,  Queen  of  the  "Water,  Reuben  Wood,  or  Hare's 
Ear,  or,  better  still,  perhaps,  a  B.  A.  Scott  or  General 
Hooker,  about  which  an  interesting  ouananiche  fish- 
ing story  has  already  been  told  in  Forest  and  Stream. 
Mayor  B.  A.  Scott,  of  Roberval,  a  leading  authority 
upon  everything  connected  with  the  Lake  St.  John 
country,  was  fishing  with  me  upon  a  hot  midsummer 


ANGLING   FOR   OUANANICIIE  93 

day  when  the  ouananiche  were  rising  all  around  us 
in  the  most  aggravating  manner  without  apparently 
even  looking  at  our  flies  at  all.  They  were  evidently 
feeding  upon  insect  food,  but  out  of  the  collection  of 
flies  then  upon  the  water  it  was  difficult  to  say  which 
they  were  taking.  As  soon  as  we  could  manage  to 
secure  a  fish  at  all  Mr.  Scott  cut  open  its  stomach  and 
found  it  nearly  full  of  a  small,  dun-colored,  yellow- 
bodied  fly,  of  which  the  B.  A.  Scott  is  a  good  imi- 
tation. AVe  caught  several  of  the  natural  insects  that 
day,  and,  after  impaling  them  upon  our  hooks,  had 
good  sport  with  the  ouananiche.  AVhen  the  fly  al- 
ready mentioned  had  been  tied  from  our  patterns  of 
the  natural  insect,  it  was,  as  I  thought,  appropriately 
named  the  "  B.  A.  Scott,"  and  I  sent  a  specimen  to  Mr. 
A.  N.  Cheney,  of  Glens  Falls.  He  recognized  it  at 
once  as  almost  identical  with  the  "  General  Hooker," 
which  was  first  tied  by  Miss  Sara  McBride.  The  re- 
semblance between  the  two  is  all  but  perfect,  and  at 
first  sight  Mr.  Cheney  failed  to  notice  any  distinction. 
In  view  of  the  great  amount  of  confusion  created  by 
the  unnecessary  multiplicity  of  the  names  of  flies,  I 
have  always  felt  that  after  Mr.  Cheney's  discovery  it 
would  have  been  well  to  avoid  the  double  name  in 
this  case,  notwithstanding  the  fact  that  the  B.  A.  Scott 
was  undoubtedly  a  new  pattern  so  far  as  the  gentle- 
man is  concerned  after  whom  it  was  named.  But  the 
Arm  which  had  it  tied  discovered  that  it  was  a  killing 
pattern,  and  one  certain  to  be  in  large  demand  for 
ouananiche  fishing,  and  so  insisted  upon  the  small  dif- 
ference and  the  special  name  of  their  new  pattern. 
To  me  the  difference  is  so  imperceptible  that  I  cannot 


04  ANGLING    FOR   OUANANICIIE 

bri  g  myself  to  believe  that  it  can  be  distinguished  by 
the  lish  at  all.  So  I  use  both  names  indiscriminately, 
and  generally  both  together.  The  later  pattern  is 
sometimes  tied  Avitli  reversed  wings. 

Several  friends  to  whom  I  have  recommended  the 
fly  have  found  it  very  successful.  ]\Ir.  J.  13.  Lawrence, 
Jr.,  of  New  York,  wrote  me  on  the  Dth  of  August, 
189J:,  as  follows:  "Mr.  Fox  and  I  spent  two  lialf- 
days  and  one  whole  day  fishing  at  the  Grande  De- 
charge,  and  had  as  good  sport  as  any  reasonable  man 
coukl  ask  for.  We  did  not  take  any  over  three  and 
a  half  pcumds,  but  took  several  two  and  a  half  to 
three  pound  lisli.  ...  I  found  the  B.  A.  Scott  one 
of  the  best  flies  for  tlie  ouananiche,  and  am  much 
obliged  to  you  for  telling  me  about  it."  Sometimes  it 
is  the  experience  of  fishermen  that  the  fish  will  take 
any  fly  that  may  be  offered  them.  Mr.  Eobert  E. 
Plumb,  of  Detroit,  writing  on  the  2Sth  of  June,  1894-, 
said:  "I  divided  the  flies  [B.  A.  Scott  or  General 
Hooker]  among  our  friends,  and  all  of  us  took  fish 
with  them.  Indeed,  we  did  on  everything  we  used. 
One  fly  seemed  to  do  the  work  about  as  well  as 
another  and  no  better.  We  had  a  delightful  time  at 
the  Grande  Decharge  and  lots  of  fish." 

Red  is  not,  generally  speaking,  a  good  color  to  enter 
into  the  composition  of  ouananiche  flies.  As  a  rule,  the 
fish  will  have  nothing  to  do  with  it.  Mr.  IMcCarthy 
mentions  the  Bed  Ibis  among  the  flies  that  he  enu- 
merates as  useful  for  ouananiche  fishing,  and  I  sup- 
pose that  he  must  have  tried  it  upon  such  a  day  as 
that  described  above  by  Mr.  Plumb,  when  one  fly 
seemed  to  do  the  work  about  as  well  as  another. 


AXOLING    FOR    OUANANICIIE  95 

In  the  hottest  and  clearest  weather  of  the  sliort,  hot 
Canadian  summer  it  ro(|uii'cs,  indeed,  all  one's  skill  to 
entice  the  ouananiche,  and  then,  too,  as  ]\[r.  J.  G.  A. 
Creighton  so  well  puts  it,  "If  you  understand  the 
tine  art  of  dry  lly- fishing,  and  can  numa'uvre  a  tiny 
dun  on  a  12  or  13  hook  so  as  to  look  like  the  real 
article,  and  can  also  handle  large  fish  on  the  fine 
tackle  required,  you  will  get  good  sport  and  the  sat- 
isfaction which  comes  of  catching  iish  as  Keynolds 
mixed  his  colors — with  brains." 

It  does  require  brains,  and  experience  as  well,  to 
liandle  the  ouananiche  upon  the  exceedingly  minute 
hooks  and  delicate  gossamer-like  gut  that  is  employed 
upon  the  Loch  Leven  and  other  Scotch  trout-waters. 

Various  are  the  rods  employed  in  the  Lake  St.  John 
waters.  Grilse  rods  are  sometimes  called  into  requisi- 
tion for  ouananiche  lishing,  both  by  those  preferring 
a  sharp,  quick  struggle  with  the  fish  to  a  protracted 
fight,  and  by  tliose  who  have  had  but  little  experience 
in  fighting  it  in  heavy  water.  The  usual  tool  em- 
ployed is  a  trout -rod  Aveighing  from  seven  to  nine 
ounces,  and  personally  I  believe  this  to  be  the  most 
serviceable  for  the  purpose.  But  there  are  experienced 
anglers  who  enjoy  the  sport  of  killing  the  fish  upon  a 
five-ounce  rod,  and  no  doubt  there  is  keen  enjoyment 
in  the  struggle,  particularly  when  no  compensation 
for  the  lightness  and  pliability  of  the  rod  is  taken  in 
the  shape  of  automatic  adjun'^',,  possessing  which,  the 
angler  hooks  the  fish  and  the  self-acting  reel  does 
the  rest.  I  freely  admit  tliat  with  a  \ery  light  rod 
and  so  stubborn  a  fighter  as  the  ouananiche  an  auto- 
matic reel  is  almost  essential  to  success,  because  of 


90  ANGLING   FOR   OUANANICIIE 

the  diiTicult}'  under  such  circumstances  of  recovering 
the  slack  of  the  line.  ]>ut  with  a  rod  heavy  enough  to 
recover  a  long  lino  quickly  in  a  strong  current — say 
one  of  seven  or  eight  ounces  in  weight — I  believe  more 
sport  can  bo  had  by  the  angler  playing  his  own  iish 
and  keeping  his  lino  taut  with  the  aid  of  the  good  old- 
fashioned  multiplying  reel,  than  in  his  employment  of 
a  lighter  rod  and  the  automatic  care  of  his  lisii  and 
line.  It  is  certain  that  more  skill  is  required  in  the 
saving  of  the  fish  when  the  angler  has  to  do  it  all 
himself  without  any  automatic  aid. 

The  line  should  bo  Avater))roofed  and  not  of  unnec- 
essary weight.  Its  length  should  be  not  less  than  150 
to  200  feet.  I  have  never  found  any  particular  ad- 
vantage in  having  a  dyed  casting-line  for  these  waters, 
but  am  well  aware  that  there  is  quite  a  conflict  of 
opinion  on  this  subject. 

Robert  Salter,  who,  in  1811,  published  The  Modern 
AngJe}\  has  the  following  practical  remarks : 

"I  have  heard  many  ingenious  anglers  contend  for  the  prefer- 
ence that  stained  silk-worm  gut  is  entitled  to  for  fly-fishing,  whicli 
is  an  opinion  I  cannot  agree  with,  and  shall  take  this  opportunity 
of  explaining  ni}"  reason  for  it :  the  color  of  gut,  as  imported,  is 
more  diflicult  to  be  distinguished  in  clear  water  than  any  oilier  that 
has  hitherto  been  substituted  ;  but  as  example  is  more  persuasive 
than  precept,  boil  the  outside  shells,  or  leaves,  of  walnuts  in  alum 
water  ;  when  cold  put  into  it  a  length  of  gut,  and  it  will,  in  a  short 
time,  become  brown.  Boil  a  few  chips  of  logwood  in  alum  water, 
and  it  will  stain  your  gut  blue  ;  then  put  a  sliort  link  of  each  color 
■with  one  that  is  unstained  info  a  half-pint  tumbler  of  clear  water, 
place  it  in  the  upper  part  of  a  window  when  the  sun  shines  on  it, 
and  gradually  retire,  keeping  your  eye  fixed  on  the  objects  in  the 
glass  until  one  of  them  disappears ;  you  will  then  be  convinced 
that  it  requires  not  the  aid  of  philosophy  to  decide  which  color  is 


ANGLING   FOR  OUANANICHE  07 

entitled  to  tlie  iircfercncc ;  yet,  for  bnltoin  fishing  in  rivers,  when 
they  are  disculored  by  floods  or  tuvlxivy  wivter,  u  line  very  lightly 
tinted  with  wahuu  stiiiu  I  have  no  objection  to;  or  for  pool  fishing, 
Avhile  the  weeds  continue  gi'een,  if  the  bottom  link  be  very  lightly 
tiuged  with  the  logwood  dye,  it  may  aid  the  deception." 

The  gut  of  which  the  casting-line  for  ouananiche  is 
composed  shoukl  be  good,  strong  sahnon  gut,  and  for 
the  end  of  July  and  the  August  fishing  as  fine  as  is 
consistent  with  strengtli.  On  account  of  the  diiKculty 
of  taking  a  hirge,  lively  iish  into  a  birch-bark  canoe, 
and  because  of  the  awkward  places  ashore,  where  it  is 
often  necessary  for  the  guides  to  land  the  ouananiche, 
I  find  it  useful  to  employ  a  somewhat  longer  handle 
for  my  landing-net  than  is  customary. 

You  can  got  more  than  ouananiche  in  man}'  of  the 
oil}"  pools  of  the  Decharge  by  dry  fly-fishing.  There 
are  numbers  of  whitefish  there,  and  in  warm,  balmy 
weather  they  may  be  seen  basking  in  the  oun  upon  the 
surface  of  the  water.  They  do  not  take  the  fly  very 
freely,  and  when  they  are  hooked  must  be  /ery  ten- 
derly played,  lest  the  hook  be  torn  from  the  mouth. 
They  are  usually  only  taken,  too,  upon  very  light 
tackle.  I  have  had  them  afford  me  splendid  sport,  and 
have  also  known  of  specimens  having  been  taken  here 
by  Mr.  Floyd,  of  Boston,  and  Mr.  W.  A.  Griffiths,  of 
Quebec.  These  are  the  Coregoiius  chqjeiformis,  and 
not  to  be  confounded  with  the  coarse  chub  or  ouHouche 
of  these  waters,  a  most  abundant  species  here,  known 
scientifically  as  Seiuotilas  huUaris.  In  mentioning 
other  neighbors  of  the  ouananiche  in  the  Grande 
Decharge  I  may  say  that  trout  are  few  and  far  be- 
tween.    Only  very  occasionally  \s  fontiiialis  taken  in 

7 


08  ANGLING    FOR   OUANANICIIE 

its  rapids  or  intervening  pools.  But  pike  are  plentiful 
in  some  localities,  and  Mr.  Cheney  tells  of  one  weigh- 
ing fourteen  pounds  that  he  caught  on  a  spoon  in  Au- 
gust, 1894,  in  a  pool  out  of  which  he  had  just  taken 
a  ouananiche  weighing  three  and  one -half  pounds. 
"  Eather  queer  tenants,"  adds  Mr.  Cheney,  "  of  the 
same  pool,  for  a  tandem  of  such  ouananiche  could 
have  gone  down  the  throat  of  the  pike  without  touch- 
ing a  fin  at  the  entrance-gate."  And  he  refers  to  the 
incident  in  Forest  and  Sti'eairi  to  show  the  ability  of 
the  fresh-water  salmon,  once  it  has  grown  to  fair  size, 
to  take  very  good  care  of  itself  so  far  as  predatory 
fish  are  concerned.  Both  the  instinct  of  self-preserva- 
tion and  the  ability  to  take  care  of  itself  must  indeed 
be  highl}^  developed  in  the  ouananiche  of  Lake  St. 
John,  in  view  of  the  immense  numbei's  and  size  of  the 
pike  inhabiting  its  waters.  Tiiese  and  other  neigh- 
bors of  the  ouananiche  are  treated  of  at  greater  length 
in  another  chapter. 

From  the  middle  of  August  to  the  end  of  the  ouana- 
niche season,  on  the  15th  of  September,  larger  fish,  if 
fewer  in  number,  are  taken  in  and  about  the  Dechargo 
than  in  the  latter  part  of  July  and  commencement  of 
August.  The  fine  fly-fishing  of  the  heated  term  again 
gives  way  to  the  use  of  somewhat  larger  flies,  and  at 
til  is  season  of  the  year  I  have  done  fairly  well  with 
the  McCarthy  ouananiche  fly,  something  of  a  cross  be- 
tween a  Jock  Scot  and  Silver  Doctor,  beautifully  tied, 
and  given  me  by  Mr.  Eugene  McCarthy,  of  Syracuse. 
Some  fish  were  tem})ted,  too,  by  the  Mead  fly,  a  pretty 
representation  of  a  yellow-bodied  insect  in  an  inuigo 
state,  obtained  by  Mr.  Cheney  from  Portland,  Oregon, 


ANGLING   FOR   OUANANICHE  99 

and  which  I  feel  quite  certain  will  prove  a  killing  fly 
for  these  waters  in  the  June  ouananiche  fishing.  Some 
exceptionally  good  catches  are  made  witli  the  spoon 
in  the  end  of  the  season,  not  only  in  the  Decharge 
itself,  but  also  in  that  part  of  the  lake  immediately 
above  it,  and  especially  around  the  different  islands 
iu  the  vicinit}'. 

The  best  fly-fishing  for  ouananiche  at  the  end  of  the 
season  is  undoubtedly  to  be  had  in  the  Metabetchouan 
Eiver — i:ot  in  its  naouth,  as  in  the  spring,  but  at  the 
foot  of  its  picturesque  falls,  some  Ave  miles  up  from 
the  lake.  The  place  is  rather  difficult  of  access,  but 
the  visitor,  either  in  August  or  in  the  early  part  of 
September,  is  amply  recompensed  for  the  trouble  of 
reaching  it,  both  by  the  wild  grandeur  of  the  sur- 
roundings and  by  the  nature  of  the  angling  to  be 
obtained.  The  ouananiche  taken  there  are  on  their 
way  to  their  spawning-beds,  and  are,  for  the  most 
]>art,  large.  Colonel  vVndrew  C.  P.  Haggard,  D.S.O., 
a  brother  of  the  famous  novelist,  had  a  most  success- 
ful catch  here  in  September,  1892,  fishing  with  the 
phantom  minnow,  and  Forest  and  Stream  has  recorded 
that  on  the  4th  and  5th  of  September,  1894,  llev.  Dr. 
A'"an  Dyke,  of  the  Brick  Presbyterian  Church,  New 
York,  took  thirty-two  fish  there,  weighing  one  hundred 
and  tliirt3^-six  pounds,  nearly  all  on  small  flies,  most- 
ly the  Reuben  Wood,  Professor,  Dark  Coachman,  and 
Hare's  Ear. 

In  the  northern  tributaries  of  Lake  St.  John  and 
their  adjacent  waters  are  to  be  found  the  best  sum- 
mer fishing-grounds  for  ouananiche.  Tlio  s})ort  that 
they  aiford  does  not  materially  differ  from  that  to  be 


100  ANGLING    FOR    OUANANICHE 

had  in  the  Decharge  in  the  s])ring  of  the  3'ear ;  that 
is  to  say,  of  course,  the  angling  to  be  had  in  the  rai)ids 
of  the  rivers  and  at  the  foot  of  many  of  the  chutes. 
The  most  important  of  these  fishing- places  will  be 
described  later,  as  well  as  the  lakes  in  which  are  found 
the  large,  dark-colored  fish  known  to  the  Indians  as 
"ouchachoumac"  or  "salmon"  instead  of  ouananiche, 
and  almost  invariably  taken  with  bait,  ])'iantora  min- 
nows, or  the  spoon. 

Before  closing  the  description  of  the  sport  afford- 
ed by  angling  for  ouananiche,  let  us  hear  what  the 
Kev.  Dr.  Yan  Dyke,  and  Messrs.  Creighton,  Murray, 
M^ers,  Kit  Clarke,  and  McCarthy  have  had  to  say  on 
the  subject. 

Creighton,  in  American  Game  Fishes,  thus  admira- 
bly describes  the  fight  of  a  fairly  large  fish : 

"Prcseiilly,  while  quietly  reeling  in  ;in  excess  of  line,  down  goes 
the  rod-tip  with  a  smart  jerk  ;  there  is  a  terribly  long  pause  of 
about  half  a  second,  then  the  reel  sings,  and  thirty  yards  away  a 
silver  bar  Hashes  thi'ough  the  air  three  or  four  times  in  quick  suc- 
cession, for  it  is  a  fresh-run  lish  hooked  in  a  tender  spot.  You  re- 
cover a  little  line,  then  out  it  goes  again  with  more  pyrotechnics. 
At  the  end  of  ten  or  fifteen  minutes  he  comes  in  meekly,  with  an 
occasional  remonstrance,  and  you  think  it  time  for  the  net.  The 
leader  shows  above  the  water  and  the  rod  curves  into  a  semicircle, 
but  no  strain  you  can  put  on  raises  the  fish  farther,  which  circles 
slowly  around.  A  sudden  dash  under  your  feet  drags  the  rod-tip 
luider  water,  but  is  foiled  by  a  quick  turn  of  the  canoe.  Then  a 
telegraphic  circuit  seems  to  linve  been  established  through  your 
tired  arms  to  your  spine.  The  lish  is  standing  on  his  heail,  worry- 
ing the  fly  like  a  bull-dog,  and  slapping  at  the  leader  with  his  tail. 
All  at  once  the  rod  springs  back  and  you  are  lieavily  splashed  by  a 
leap  almost  into  your  face.  This  occurs  half  a  do/.en  times,  lie 
may  jump  into  the  canoe,  perhaps  over  it :  I  have  seen  ;;  wana- 
nishe  cauuht  in  the  air  in  the  landing-net,  after  it  had  shaken  the 


KAI.I.S   OK   TIIK    MKTAHETfllOrAN 


ANGLING    rOK   OUANANICIIE  101 

fly  out  of  its  mouth.  He  is  fur  more  likely,  however,  to  smash  rod 
and  tackle,  unless  you  lower  tlie  tip  smartly.  Some  more  runs 
may  follow  or  a  sulking-fit.  The  more  he  is  kept  moving  the 
sooner  he  will  tire.  It  is  well  to  keep  him  in  hand  with  as  heavy 
a  strain  as  can  be  risked,  for  he  fights  to  the  last,  and  there  is  no 
knowing  what  he  may  do.  Even  when  he  comes  to  the  surface 
and  shows  his  white  side,  the  sight  of  the  landing-net  nerves  him 
to  what  the  pugilists  call  '  a  game  finish.'  Tliree-quarters  of  an 
hour  have  gone  when  Narcisse  slips  the  net  under  him  with  a  quick 
but  sure  scoop,  and  kills  him  with  a  blow  from  the  paddle.  '  C'cst 
serieusemcnt  grosse,'  he  says,  as  he  holds  uTp  a  twenty-five-inch  fish. 
Reallj'  the  balance  does  seem  wrong  when  it  marks  onlj^  five 
pounds." 

And  "Adirondack"  Murray  contributes  this  to  the 
literature  of  the  subject : 

"In  Lake  St.  John  that  wonder  of  game-fish,  the  noted  ouana- 
niche,  is  freely  taken.  In  one  of  the  rivers  flowing  into  the  lake,  up 
a  short  distance  from  the  mouth  of  it,  over  six  hundred  of  these 
magnificent  fish  could  be  counted  in  one  pool  as  I  passed  through 
the  neighborhood  last  fall.  In  look  they  are  much  like  our  laud- 
locked  salmon,  but  heavens,  how  they  rise  to  our  flies  !  And  how 
stout  and  stubborn  they  are  !  How  they  fight  it  out  with  the  rods- 
man  !  Many  an  American  rod  will  be  smashed,  I  fancy,  next  sum- 
mer, and  many  a  stout  and  trusty  tackle  broken  by  these  stubborn 
fighters,  that  yield  not  even  to  the  salmon  in  the  fierce  energy  of 
their  play." 

The  Rev.  Dr.  Henry  Yan  Dyke  has  Avritten  of  a 
pool  in  the  Grande  Decharge  that  was  full  of  fish  of 
various  kinds.     To  quote  his  own  words  : 

"  But  the  prince  of  the  pool  was  the  fighting  ouananiche,  the  lit- 
tle salmon  of  St.  John.  Here  let  me  chant  thy  praise,  thou  noblest 
and  most  high-minded  fish,  the  cleanest  feeder,  the  merriest  liver, 
the  loftiest  leaper,  and  the  bravest  warrior  of  all  creatures  that 
swim  I    Thy  cousin,  the  trout,  in  bis  purple  and  gold  with  crimson 


103  ANGLING    FOR   OUANANICHE 

spots,  wears  a  more  splendid  armor  than  thy  russet  and  silver  mot- 
tled witli  black,  but  tliine  is  tlie  kinglier  nature.  His  courage  and 
skill,  compared  with  thine, 

"Are  ns  moonlight  unto  8nnli<;ht, 
And  as  water  unto  wine." 

"  The  old  salmon  of  the  sea  wlio  begat  thee  long  ago  in  these  in- 
land waters  became  a  backslider,  descending  again  to  the  ocean, 
and  grew  gross  and  heavy  with  coarse  feeding. 

"But  thou,  unsalted  salmon  of  the  foaming  floods,  not  land- 
locked, as  men  call  thee,  but  choosing  of  thine  own  free  will  to 
dwell  on  a  loftier  level,  in  the  pure,  swift  current  of  a  living  stream, 
liatli  grown  in  grace  and  risen  to  a  better  life. 

"Thou  art  not  to  be  measured  by  quantity  but  b}'  quality,  and 
thy  five  pounds  of  pure  vigor  will  outweigii  a  score  of  pounds  of 
flesh  less  vitalized  by  spirit.  Thou  feedest  on  the  Hies  of  the  air, 
and  thy  food  is  transformed  into  an  aerial  passion  for  flight,  as  thou 
springest  across  the  pool,  vaulting  towards  the  sky.  Thine  eyes 
have  grown  large  and  keen  by  peering  through  the  foam,  and  tiie 
feathered  hook  that  can  deceive  thee  must  be  deftly  tied  and  deli- 
cately cast.  Thy  tail  and  fins  by  ceaseless  conflict  with  the  rapids 
have  broadened  and  strengthened,  so  that  they  can  flash  thy  slen- 
der body  like  a  living  arrow  up  the  fall.  As  Launcelot  among  the 
knights,  so  art  thou  among  tlie  fish,  the  plain-armored  hero,  the 
sunburnt  champion  of  all  the  water-folk." 

From  an  article  in  the  American  Field  by  Mr.  E.  J. 
Myers,  of  New  York,  we  take  the  following : 

"Of  all  the  finny  tribes  that  possess  game  qualities,  ounce  for 
ounce  and  inch  for  inch,  the  ouananiche  outranks  them  all  and 
affords  the  keenest  sport.  I  do  not  exclude  any  denizen  of  the 
deep;  for,  without  boasting,  I  have  killed  the  Atlantic  salmon  — 
Snlmo  snhtr  —  on  the  Newfoundland  and  Labrador  rivers  ;  striped 
bass,  in  the  ocean  breakers  ;  speckled  trotit,  at  Virgin  Falls,  on  the 
Nipigon  ;  black  bass,  at  Pine  Lake,  Ontario,  and  over  all  I  place  the 
ouananiche — the  landlocked  salmon  of  the  country  north  of  Lake 
St.  John  ! 

"I  take  my  salnaon  -  fishing  with  honest  devotion  to  the  game 


ANGLING    FOR  OUANANICHE  103 

qualities  of  tlie  Salmo  salar,  and  yet  I  deem  my  summer  outing  in- 
complete and  marred  unless  1  linisli  it  with  a  cast  for  this  worthy 
scion  of  his  royal  progenitor.  So  1  have  journeyed  from  the  Hum- 
ber  and  the  Esquimaux,  down  the  Straits  of  Belle  Isle  and  Gulf  of 
the  St.  Lawrence,  up  to  Roberval,  to  meet  my  guides,  resting  not 
until  at  the  Cinquieme  Chute  I  slept  upon  a  bed  of  balsam  and  pine 
that  laughed  to  scorn  ail  couches  «of  down.  What  of  the  ouana- 
uiche  ?  This  is  the  testimony  1  give,  as  I  have  heretofore  written  it : 
"  'Tliis  is  no  denizen  of  stiil  and  stagnant  water,  no  poltroon  of 
running  waters,  nursing  his  strength  in  cowardly  ambush,  lying  in 
wait  beneath  lil}'  pads,  or  lurking  in  weeds  for  the  victim  to  pass, 
upon  which  he  will  ruthlessly  prey  ;  no  savage  monster,  patterned 
after  crocodile,  with  cruel  fangs  filling  a  gavial  muzzle  to  devour 
his  victim,  who,  once  impaled  upon  bait  or  spoon,  cowardly  comes 
to  strand  or  canoe  like  some  great  bully  called  to  stand  by  pure 
pluck  and  not  physique.  No  !  the  ouananiche  fights  as  if  he  would 
pluck  forth  the  weapon  that  has  stabbed  him  and  with  it  turn  and 
attack  his  assailant.  Up  iu  the  air  six  or  seven  times,  high  and  low, 
shaking  liis  head  to  expel  the  hook,  with  wil  and  cunning  tugging 
at  the  line  deep  under  water  until  you  fairly  feel  tlie  barb  tear  the 
flesh  at  the  end,  rising  to  the  surface  and  thrashing  tlie  water  until 
the  line  is  one  inextricable  tangle,  so  goes  the  battle  on.  Let  no  one 
relax  liis  vigilance  or  abate  one  jot  of  effort  tintil  the  ouananiche  be 
suspended  on  the  balance,  or  else  a  deep-drawn  breath  and — a  great 
struggle  with  yourself  will  attest  the  ignominious  end.  This  foe 
lives  iu  the  rushing  floods,  under  falls  where  the  rainbow  forever 
gleams  in  the  sun,  amid  eddies  circling  down  the  foaming  tide  — 
where  iu  the  whirl  of  tunmltuous  waters,  current  neutralizes  current 
—  and  there  encircled  by  a  ring  of  turbulent  waves  the  pools  form  ; 
there  with  muscles  always  in  motion,  turning  into  pliant  steel,  and 
at  all  times  keenly  vigilant  and  alert,  never  at  rest,  does  the  ouana- 
niclie  get  form,  color,  strength,  and  courage.  Flashing  through  the 
foam,  through  the  seething  waters  as  they  tumnltuously  pour  down 
rocky  gorge  and  pass,  over  precipitous  falls  —  leajnng  higli  up  the 
fall  and  ascending  against  its  mighty  power  — there  the  "survival 
of  the  fittest "  working  to  perfect  end  in  natural  selection,  the  oua- 
naniche gets  his  superb  development  of  form  and  muscle,  with  the 
gift  of  indomitable  courage.  As  the  salmon  fisherman  kills  the 
lordly  Siilino  sator  weighing  from  fifteen  to  sixteen  pounds  with  a 


104  ANGLING    FOR   OUANANICIIE 

twenty-six-ounce  rod  and  dainty  flics,  so  I  make  war  on  le  j)etit  mu- 
raon  wcigiung  from  three  to  eight  pounds  with  rods  weigliing  from 
four  and  one-half  to  seven  ounoos,  and  use  the  same  dainty  flies, 
only  smaller— Joclc  Scot,  Silver  Doctor,  Durham  Ranger,  Cockrobin, 
etc.  Yet  do  they  again  and  again  fail  to  tempt  his  capricious  appe- 
tite, for  his  fancy  is  fickle  and  vacillating,  worn  to  satiety  like  some 
old  gourmet.' 

"  At  the  Fifth  Falls  I  have  killed  145  fishes,  weighing  from  three 
to  six  pounds,  in  nine  days,  and  this  not  counting  those  stabbed, 
played,  and  lost,  often  after  longest  figlit ;  and,  atLacTschotogama, 
I  have  killed  the  ouananiche  as  heavy  as  eiglit  pounds.  At  Lake 
Tschotogama,  in  a  small  body  of  water  about  seven  miles  long  by 
about  two  miles  wide,  I  have  killed  trout  weighing  eiglit  pounds, 
ouananiche  weighing  eight  pounds,  and  pike  weighing  forty-seven 
pounds  ;  'but  that  is  another  story.'" 

Kit  Clarke  says : 

"  Two  or  three  American  lakes,  to  which  this  piebald  champion 
lias  been  transplanted,  know  him  as  the  landlocked  salmon,  but  in 
Lake  St.  John  alone  does  he  display  his  amazing  and  obstinate 
strcngtli,  his  marvellous  finesse,  his  tempestuous  somersaults,  and 
his  tremendous  fighting  qualities.  Weight  for  weight,  he  is  im- 
measurably the  grandest  game  that  has  j'et  fallen  to  the  fisherman's 
lure.  In  general  outline  the  ouananiche  is  a  far  more  graceful  fish 
than  the  salmon,  and  in  delicacy  and  in  flavor  of  flesh  is  infinitely 
more  palatable  than  either  salmon  or  trout.  As  a  game-flsh,  afford- 
ing stimulating  sport,  and  fomenting  excitement  in  its  capture,  he 
is  absolutely  sovereign  of  the  watery  kingdom.  The  sportsman 
whose  hook  the  first  time  impales  the  fish  will  be  dumfounded  at 
the  tremendous  leaps  and  fiery  struggles  of  this  heroic  antagonist. 
His  vigorous  contentions  are  astounding,  while  at  every  leap  into 
the  air  he  turns  a  complete  somersault,  all  the  while  shaking  his 
head  with  the  fierceness  of  an  enraged  tiger.  These  terrific  leaps 
are  so  continuous  that  one  seems  to  be  fighting  the  fish  in  the  air 
as  much  as  in  the  water." 

Mr.  Eugene  McCarthy,  in  The  Leaping  Ouananiche, 
says : 


ANGLING    FOR   OUANANICIIE  105 

"A  ouananiche  of  about  three  pounds'  weight  will  require  fully 
fifteen  to  twenty  minutes  or  more  to  kill  it,  and  it  will  tight  hard 
every  moment. 

"  Now  it  will  leap  from  the  water  anywhere  from  two  or  three  to 
a  dozen  times,  rising  fully  three  or  four  feet  from  the  surface,  re- 
turning to  the  water  only  to  make  an  immediate  wild  rush  towards 
the  bottom.  If  near  a  fall  it  will  make  many  attempts  to  rush  un- 
der the  falling  water,  or  in  the  rough  part  of  the  rapids,  there  to 
sulk,  pull,  and  often  shake  violently  to  release  the  liook.  Then, 
perhaps,  a  rush  towards  the  fisherman,  a  quick  turn  and  deep  down 
again,  a  moment's  rest  and  then  a  violent  race  to  and  fro,  as  far  as 
the  line  will  permit.  The  jumps  are  quick,  and  occur  when  least 
expected,  often  following  one  another  in  quick  succession.  In  fact, 
the  fish  are  never  at  rest,  but  change  their  tactics  evorj^  moment. 
Each  fish  fights  differently ;  the  method  pursued  in  catching  one 
will  scarcely  apply  to  the  ue.xt.  The  hand  and  mind  must  act  in 
unison  quickly,  and  both  will  be  thoroughly  occupied.  .  .  .  Be  pre- 
pared to  lose,  as  a  rule,  more  fish  than  you  save  ;  that  is  the  com- 
mon experience." 

Lovers  of  the  fish  and  of  the  sport  that  it  affords 
will  be  gratified  to  know  that  so  far — that  is,  up  to  the 
end  of  1895 — despite  the  hundreds  of  anglers  visiting 
the  ouananiche  waters  of  Lake  St.  John,  there  is  no 
apparent  diminution  in  the  supply  of  the  fish,  though 
in  his  article  published  in  American  Game  Fishes,  in 
1S92,  Mr.  J.  G.  A.  Creighton  expressed  the  fear  that 
their  speedy  extinction  would  follow  the  opening  up 
of  the  region  to  tourists  by  a  railway.  Under  a  for- 
mer administration  of  the  government  of  this  province, 
the  netting  of  this  magnificent  fish  for  the  markets 
was  actually  permitted  for  a  time.  The  Hon,  E.  J. 
Flynn,  the  present  Commissioner  of  Crown  Lands,  has 
devoted  special  attention  to  the  protection  of  the  fish  ; 
but,  despite  the  presumed  alertness  of  the  gamekeep- 
ers and  fish  inspectors,  there  is  still  much  surreptitious 


106  ANGLING    FOR   OUANANICIIE 

netting  going  on  in  the  vicinity  of  Isle  Rondo  and  else- 
where by  natives  of  St.  Gedeon,  and  also  at  the  mouth 
of  La  Belle  liiviere.  It  is,  of  course,  difficult  to  restrain 
the  careless  greed  of  wasteful  anglers,  and  the  fish  is 
yet  plentiful  enough  to  warrant  the  adoption  of  a  law 
limiting  the  number  per  rod  that  should  be  killed  in  a 
single  day.  AVhen  it  is  a  well-known  fact  that  from 
forty  to  fifty  ouananiche  per  day  have  been  killed  as 
well  as  landed,  and  that  to  a  single  rod,  there  is  need 
indeed  of  some  more  powerful  deterrent  from  shame- 
ful waste  than  the  sweet,  sportsman-like  appeal  of 
Dame  Juliana  Berners,  prioress  of  Sopwell,  near  St. 
Albans,  now  over  four  hundred  years  old,  and  Avhich 
I  may  be  pardoned  for  quoting  from  her  "  Treatyse  of 
fysshynge  wy th  an  angle,  emprynted  at  Westmestre  by 
AVynkyn  the  Worde,  the  yere  thyncarnacon  of  our 
Lorde  1486,"  as  follows : 

"  Alfo  ye  fliall  not  be  to  rauenous  in  takyng  of  your  fayd  game 
as  to  moche  at  one  tyme  :  whyclie  yo  raaye  lyglitly  doo  yf  yo  doo 
ineuery  poynt  as  this  prefent  trtatyfij  'hcwyth  you  ineuery  poynt, 
whj'cli  lyghtly  be  occafyon  to  dyft'oye  your  owne  dyfportcs  and 
other  mennys  alfo.  As  whan  ye  haue  a  fiiflfycyent  mefe  ye  fliolde 
coveyte  nomore  as  at  that  time.  .  .  .  And  all  thofe  that  done  after 
this  rule  fhall  haue  the  bleffyne  of  god  &  faynt  Pctyr,  whyche 
he  tbeym  graunte  that  wyth  his  precyous  blood  vs  boughte." 

And  in  view  of  that  incident  in  Holy  Writ,  in 
which  the  command  went  forth  to  gather  up  the  frag- 
ments that  remained  from  five  barley  loaves  and  two 
small  fishes,  after  five  thousand  people  had  dined 
upon  them,  "  that  nothing  be  lost,"  which  of  us  shall 
make  so  bold  as  to  declare  that  the  dear,  good  prioress 


ANGLING    FOlt    OUANANICIIE  107 

exaggerates  the  sin  of  waste  or  the  reward  that  shall 
follow  the  proper  use  of  God's  good  creatures  ? 

Theouananiche  is  being  trans])lanted  into  other  Ca- 
nadian waters.  The  IVlaine  fish  lias  been  introduced  b}^ 
Mr.  Greenough  into  his  private  waters  back  of  Tort- 
neuf,  and  Mr.  Seaton  is  making  arrangements  to  plant 
fish  from  Lake  St.  John  in  some  of  the  waters  of  tlie 
Triton  Tract.  Nothing  has  yet  been  done,  unfortu- 
natel}^  towards  the  artificial  hatching  of  the  Canadian 
ouananiche.  It  is  to  be  hoped  that  this  may  soon  be 
remedied,  and  that  experiments  may  also  be  made 
looking  to  an  improvement  in  the  size  of  the  fish  by 
crossing  it  with  either  the  landlocked  salmon  of  Maine 
or  the  Salmo  solar  of  our  coastal  streams. 


©art  iri) 


THE   GEOGRAPHICAL  DISTKIBUTION  OF 
THE   OUANANIOHE 


THE  GEOCIiAPIIICAL  DISTKIBUTION  OF 
THE  OUANANICHE 


It  lias  been  the  custom  of  most  writers  upon  the 
ouananiche  of  Canada,  and  is  still  the  habit  of  many 
of  them,  to  speak  of  it  as  peculiar  to  Lake  St.  John 
and  its  tributary  waters.  This  ignorance  of  the  real 
facts  as  to  the  occurrence  of  the  fish  is  doubtless  due 
to  the  difficulty  of  reaching  any  of  the  other  rivers 
or  lakes  in  which  it  is  found.  Few  of  these  latter 
have  ever  been  visited  for  the  pleasure  derived  from 
fishing  them.  With  the  exception  of  portions  of  one 
or  two  streams  flowing  into  the  lower  St.  Lawrence, 
our  information  respecting  the  finny  inhabitants  of 
these  ouananiche  waters  is  derived  onl}'  from  the  re- 
ports of  members  of  the  Geological  Survey  of  Canada, 
and  from  those  of  Provincial  Land  Surveyors,  Indians, 
etc.  The  first  mention  that  I  can  find  of  the  existence 
of  these  fish  in  the  Province  of  Quebec  in  other  than 
the  Lake  St.  John  waters,  is  in  the  report  of  the 
Crown  Lands  Department  of  this  province  for  1887, 
where  Guardian  Lattey,  of  the  Megantic  Fish  and 
Game  Club,  states  that  he  has  been  told  that  there 
were  "  winnonish  "  in  Arnold  Bog.  Ho  admits  that  he 
never  caught  any  of  them,  and  I  was  at  first  strongly 


112     GEOGRAl'IIICAL   DISTRIBUTION   OF  THE    OUANANICHE 

inclined  to  the  belief  that  his  information  was  er- 
roneous. It  is  probable,  however,  that  they  have 
been  transplanted  there  from  some  of  the  Maine 
waters. 

Mr.  T.  Simard,  a  surveyor  and  geometrician  of  the 
Crown  Lands  Department  of  Quebec,  a  very  safe  and 
careful  observer,  reports  tliat  in  18S9  he  found  the 
ouananiche,  as  well  as  trout,  in  great  quantities  in  the 
lakes  of  the  Goynish,  and  especially  in  Lake  Victor. 
The  Goynish  flows  into  the  St.  Lawrence  north  of  the 
island  of  Anticosti,  and  there  is  no  doubt  as  to  the  ex- 
actitude of  Mr.  Simard's  classification  of  the  fish,  for 
Mr.  Gosselin,  who  made  a  separate  survey  of  the  lower 
part  of  the  river  from  that  of  Mr.  Simard,  agrees  with 
tlie  latter,  that  the  existence  of  the  salmon  from  the 
sea  could  only  be  verified  for  a  distance  of  four 
miles  from  the  mouth  of  the  stream.  Quite  a  succes- 
sion of  falls  intervenes  between  the  salmon-pool  four 
miles  from  the  mouth  of  the  river  and  the  lakes  in 
which  Mr.  Simard  found  tlie  ouananiche.  Mr,  Si- 
mard's report  of  the  existence  of  ouananiciie  in  the 
Goynish,  or,  as  the  Indians  call  it,  the  Aguamuo,  is 
confirmed  by  the  statement  of  Mr.  D.  C.  Morenc3%  In- 
spector of  Surveys  for  the  Province  of  Quebec,  from 
whom  I  learn,  through  Mr.  C.  E.  Gauvin,  C.E.,  of  the 
Crown  Lands  Department,  the  Government  Superin- 
tendent of  Surveys,  that  he  has  found  a  species  of 
salmon  that  certainly  does  not  come  from  the  St. 
Lawrence,  not  only  in  the  Goynish,  but  also  in  the 
Wat-shu-shoo  and  Piastre-baie  rivers. 

It  is  probable  that  the  ouananiche  occurs  in  many 
of  the  Labrador  rivers  flowing  into  the  lower  St.  Law- 


GEOGRAPHICAL   DISTKIBUTION    OF  THE    OUANANICHE     113 

rence.  Two  years  after  the  appearance  of  Mr.  Si- 
mard's  report  respecting  the  existence  of  the  fish  in  the 
lalves  of  the  Goynish  system,  Mr.  J.  G.  A.  Creighton's 
monograph  upon  the  landloclced  salmon  was  printed  in 
Shields's  American  Game  Fishes.  Tlierein  he  states : 
"  In  some  of  the  rivers  of  Labrador,  which  are  all  sim- 
ply the  connections  between  and  discharges  of  exten- 
sile lake  systems,  I  found  and  identified,  in  1SS9,  my 
well-known  friend,  the  '  wananishe.'  " 

It  has  long  been  a  well-known  fact  that  the  ouana- 
niche  existed  in  the  principal  tributaries  of  Lake  St. 
John,  as  well  as  in  the  lake  itself  and  in  its  discharge, 
and  Mr,  Creighton  errs  in  supposing  that  only  a  few 
anglers  knevv  the  fish  or  its  habitat  until  lately. 
Many  Canadian  anglers,  Quebecers  in  particular,  had 
fished  the  Grande  Decharge  several  years  ago,  but 
little  had  been  written  of  the  fish  in  English  until  Mr. 
Ilallock's  description  of  it  in  the  Fishing  Tourist  and 
in  his  Sporisriuiiis  Gazetteer.  It  is  true  that  Bouchette 
had  described  it  long  before  in  his  standard  work  upon 
Canadian  topography,  and  before  the  date  of  publica- 
tion of  his  book  we  find  official  mention  of  its  exist- 
ence in  Lake  St.  John,  in  a  report  addressed  to  the 
Legislative  Assembly  of  Canada,  in  1S29,  by  Captain 
Nixon,  an  English  officer.  Mr.  Creighton  admits,  else- 
where, that  the  ouanaiiiche  has  been  well  known  since 
the  settlement  of  the  Lake  St.  John  region,  about 
1850,  and  that  it  was  familiar  to  the  Indians  and 
Hudson  Bay  Company's  voyageurs  long  before  then. 
As  a  matter  of  fact,  it  must  have  been  known  to  the 
Indians  for  as  long  a  time  as  Lake  St.  John  itself,  and 
the  original  French  inhabitants  of  the  country  were 


114     GEOGKAPHICAL   DISTKIBUTION    OF  THE    OUANANICnE 

acquainted  with  it  from  the  time  of  their  earliest 
visits  to  the  great  lake.  Of  this  the  mention  of  it 
in  their  literature  leaves  no  shadow  of  doubt.  Xearly 
two  and  a  half  centuries  ago,  De  Quen,  the  Jesuit  mis- 
sionary, who  was  the  first  white  man  to  set  foot  upon 
the  shore  of  Lake  St.  John, described  it, in  his  I2(lation 
of  1047,  as  a  salmon ;  and  we  have  already  seen  in  the 
chapter  on  the  philology  of  the  fish,  that  in  the  oldest 
book  of  the  Moutagnais  mission  at  Betsiamitz,  written 
by  Rev.  Father  IMasse,  a  contemporary  of  De  Quen, 
its  Indian  name,  "  ouananiche,"  is  given.  It  is  true 
that  not  many  American  anglers  visited  Lake  St.  John 
to  fish  for  ouananiche  before  the  construction  of  the 
railway,  though  a  numl)er  of  British  officers  did  so, 
and  so  did  many  Canadians.  It  is  also  true  that  Ilal- 
lock  and  Creighton  were  among  the  first  to  make 
known  th)  game  qualities  of  the  fish  to  American 
anglers.  But  it  is  probable  that  very  few  of  those 
who  angle  for  ouananiche,  even  as  far  north  of  Lake 
St.  John  as  Tschotagama,  Lac  u  Jim,  or  the  Fifth  Falls 
of  the  Mistassini,  have  any  idea  of  the  Avide  distribu- 
tion of  this  ])articular  member  of  Salmon'uhfi^  even  in 
the  waters  that  are  tributary  to  Lake  St.  John.  I 
have  discovered  no  Indian  and  no  surveyor  wlio  will 
undertake  to  set  a  northern  limit  for  the  occurrence 
of  the  ouananiche  in  the  valleys  of  the  Ashuapmou- 
chouan  and  Mistassini  rivers.  But  there  is  abun- 
dant evidence  that  thev  are  found  at  least  two  hun- 
dred  and  fifty  miles  north  of  Lake  St.  John,  in  the 
I'eribonca ;  and  Lake  Manouan,  the  headwaters  of  one 
of  its  principal  branches,  contains  large  numljers  of 
them.     Their  existence  there  has  been  reported  by  Mr. 


GEOGRAPHICAL   DISTRIBUTION    OF  THE   OUANANICHE     115 

John  Bignell,  Dominion  Land  Surveyor;  and  ]\[r.  P.  H. 
Dumais,  Surveyor  and  Geometrician,  reported  on  the 
subject  in  1889  to  the  Crown  Lands  Department  of 
Quebec  as  follows :  "  This  lake  (Manouan)  is  full  of 
fish ;  its  ouananiclie,  salmon,  trout,  and  whitefish  are 
superior  to  those  of  Lake  St.  John,  thanks  to  the  for- 
mation of  the  bed  of  the  lake,  which  is  composed  solely 
of  sand,  while  three-quarters  of  that  of  Lake  St.  John 
is  composed  of  marl  and  clay." 

The  best  if  not  the  only  authority  upon  the  occur- 
rence of  the  ouananiche  in  those  Labrador  waters  that 
are  carried  to  the  sea  by  a  northerly  or  easterly  course 
is  Mr.  A.  P.  Low,  the  intrepid  explorer  of  the  Geo- 
logical Survey  of  Canada,  who  led  the  expedition  of 
ISOS-Oi  that  traversed  the  great  peninsula  from  Lake 
St.  John  to  Ungava  Bay,  and  from  the  mouth  of  the 
Hamilton  River  at  Esquimaux  Bay  to  the  headwaters 
of  that  river  in  the  interior  of  Labrador,  and  thence 
southward  to  the  St.  Lawrence.  To  this  eminent  au- 
thority I  am  indebted  for  the  following  notes  : 

OUANANICHE  OF  THE   INTERIOR  OF  LABRADOR 

BY   A.    P.    LOW,    B.AP.SC. 

"This  fish  is  found  in  many  of  the  streams  that  flow 
from  the  table-land  of  the  interior,  and  is  not  confined 
to  any  particular  watershed,  as  it  lives  in  the  northern, 
eastern,  and  southern  rivers. 

"  The  central  table-land,  like  all  areas  of  Canada  un- 
derlain by  archa?an  rock,  is  covered  with  an  intricate 
network  of  lakes  connected  by  river  stretches,  and 
the  general  slope  of  the  country  is  so  gentle,  and  the 


116     GEOGKAPIIICAL    DISTRIBUTION   OF  THE   OUAXANICIIE 

change  from  one  direction  of  slope  to  another  so  easy, 
that  a  number  of  large  lakes  near  the  watershed  are 
known  to  have  two  outlets  flowing  in  opposite  direc- 
tions. An  instance  of  this  kind  may  be  cited  in  Fox 
Lake,  a  large  lake  southeast  of  Nichicoon.  The  south- 
ern discharge  of  this  lake  falls  into  the  St.  Lawrence 
b}'-  the  Manicougan  River,  while  its  northern  outlet 
forms  the  headwaters  of  the  Koksoak  River,  that  flows 
into  Ungava  Bay.  This  intimate  connection  of  the 
headwaters  of  the  various  rivers  must  greatly  aid  the 
wide  distribution  of  fish  such  as  the  ouananiche.  I 
found  them  in  the  Koksoak  River  for  a  d  istance  of  nearly 
two  hundred  miles  below  Lake  Caniapscow.  Between 
the  place  where  last  seen  and  the  sea  are  four  chutes, 
one  of  which  at  least  could  not  be  passed  by  salmon 
from  below,  as  it  has  a  sheer  fall  of  sixty  feet.  My 
guide  of  the  summer  of  1894  informed  me  that  ouana- 
niche were  found  in  the  lakes  and  river  stretches  of 
the  upper  part  of  the  George  River,  which  also  emp- 
ties into  Ungava  Bay. 

"  On  the  eastern  watershed  we  frequently  caught 
landlocked  salmon  on  both  branches  of  the  Hamilton 
River,  above  the  Grand  Falls,  where  the  sheer  fall  is 
three  hundred  feet.  Salmon  only  ascend  the  Hamil- 
ton River  twenty  miles  above  its  mouth,  where  they 
are  stopped  by  a  small  fall,  which  is  impassable  on 
account  of  the  peculiar  manner  in  which  the  water 
passes  over  a  ledge  of  rock. 

"Ouananiche  were  taken  in  the  great  Lake  Michi- 
kamow,  at  the  head  of  the  Northwest  River,  which 
also  empties  into  Hamilton  Inlet. 

"  No  flsh  were  taken  in  the  Romaine  River,  flowing 


GEOGRAPHICAL   DISTEIBUTION    OF  THE    OUANANICHE     117 

into  the  St.  Lawrence,  but  my  guide  informed  me  that 
the  sahnon  occurred  at  the  head  of  that  stream  and  of 
Natashquan  River. 

"  I  do  not  know  what  the  tlieories  are  regarding  the 
occurrence  of  these  fish  in  inland  waters,  but  of  one 
thing  I  an:  certain,  and  that  is,  they  have  never  as- 
cended fronj  the  sea  to  their  present  liaunts  since  the 
close  of  the  glacial  period,  and  I  hardly  think  the 
conditions  were  favorable  then.  My  idea  is  that  the 
salmon  was  originally  a  fresh-water  fish,  and  acquired 
the  sea-going  habit. 

"  I  have  never  heard  of  ouananiche  in  the  waters  of 
the  western  slope  of  Labrador — that  is,  in  the  rivers 
flowing  into  Hudson  Bay. 

"  It  may  interest  you  in  this  connection  to  learn 
that  the  '  pickerel '  is  not  found  in  the  rivers  of  the 
northern  and  eastern  watersheds,  although  common  in 
the  western  rivers.  In  the  Hamilton  River,  above  the 
Grand  Falls,  there  is  the  finest  trout-lishing  in  Canada — 
all  large  flsh,  none  under  three  pounds,  and  from  that 
to  seven  pounds,  and  plenty  of  them  in  all  the  rapids. 
Below  the  Grand  Falls  the  fish  are  plentiful  but  small. 

"  Last  summer,  on  several  occasions,  I  took  white- 
fish  on  a  fly — May  fly,  with  rubber  gauze  wings. 

"I  think  this  is  about  all  I  can  give  you  of  interest 
in  a  sliort  way,  unless  it  be  that  the  weight  of  the  oua- 
naniche taken  varied  from  one  to  three  and  a  half 
pounds.  The  guide  said  that  they  sometimes  Avere 
caught  up  to  seven  or  eight  pounds." 

The  specific  character  of  the  above  notes,  and  the 
reliable  nature  of  the  source  whence  they  have  been 


118    GEOGRAPHICAL  DISTEIBUTION   OF   THE   OUANANICHE 

derived,  warrants  the  statement  that  they  definitely 
settle,  once  for  all,  the  broad  outlines  of  the  geograph- 
ical distribution  of  the  ouananiche,  and  designate  the 
entire  Labrador  peninsula,  with  the  single  exception 
of  its  western  watershed,  as  its  Canadian  environment. 
In  external  a])pearance,  the  ouananiche  of  the  in- 
terior of  Labrador  do  not  differ  from  those  found  in 
Lake  St.  John  and  the  brackish  waters  of  the  Sague- 
nay  nearly  as  much  as  do  different  specimens  of  brook- 
trout  taken  from  the  same  stream.  As  I  write  I  have 
before  me  the  well-preserved  skin  of  a  small  ouana- 
niche, sixteen  inches  in  length,  which  was  caught  on 
July  7,  1804,  in  the  Ashuanipi  branch  of  the  Hamil- 
ton Eiver,  and  for  which  I  am  indebted  to  Mr.  Low. 
It  is  one  of  very  few  specimens  from  the  interior — one 
of  the  only  lot  brought  out  to  civilization.  The  silvery 
sides  and  belly  of  the  fish,  and  its  various  markings, 
including  the  five  large  circular  black  spots  on  the  gill- 
covers,  and  the  XX  marks  upon  the  upper  part  of  the 
sides,  are  almost  identical  with  those  of  the  fish  found 
in  the  Grande  Decharge.  In  the  brightness  of  its  livery 
this  specimen  offers  nearly  as  much  contrast  as  do  the 
Lake  St.  John  fish  with  the  large,  dark  ouananiche 
of  Lac  a  Jim,  Lac  Tschotagama,  and  Lac  aux  Rats, 
known  to  the  Indians  as  ouchachoumac  (pronounced 
ou-shar-shu-mack),  or  salmon.  The  dentition  is  alike 
in  all  these  fish.  I  have  found  it  impossible  to  obtain 
one  of  the  Labrador  fish  for  dissection,  but  in  external 
appearance  it  conforms  exactly,  as  already  stated,  to 
that  of  the  Lake  St.  John  ouananiclie.  An  examina- 
tion of  the  skin  before  me  shows :  Lranchiostegals,  10 ; 
dorsal,  13  ;  pectoral,  14 ;  ventral,  9 ;  anal,  10. 


IPart  D 


THE   CANADIAN  ENVIRONMENT  OF  THE 
OUANANICHE 


'X 


THE  CANADIAN  ENYIEOXMEXT  OF  THE 

OUANANICHE 


Only  in  very  recent  years  have  Mr.  A.  P.  Low,  of 
the  Geological  Survey  of  Canada,  and  others  discov- 
ered that  it  was  an  error  to  regard  the  ouananiche  as 
peculiar  to  Lake  St.  John  and  its  tributary  waters. 
Prior  to  that  discovery  a  description  of  the  Canadian 
environment  of  this  remarkable  fish  would  have  been 
a  much  lighter  task  than  it  is  to-day,  when  it  involves 
at  least  a  reference  to  the  entire  Labrador  peninsula. 
AVithin  the  last  few  years,  as  already  seen  in  the 
chapter  on  the  "  Geographical  Distribution  of  the 
Ouananiche,"  the  fish  has  been  shown  to  inhabit  wa- 
ters flowing  into  Ungava  Bay  and  the  Atlantic  Ocean, 
as  well  as  those  that  find  their  way  into  the  St. 
Lawrence  through  the  deep  gorge  of  the  Saguenay. 

As  an  instance  of  the  extent  of  the  Northeast  Ter- 
ritories, which  form  a  large  part  of  the  Labrador  pe- 
ninsula, it  has  been  pointed  out  by  Mr.  A.  H.  D.  Ross, 
of  the  Dominion  Geological  Survey,  that  Moose  Fort, 
on  James  Bay,  is  as  far  from  the  easterly  point  of 
Labrador  as  it  is  from  "Washington.  The  interior  of 
this  vast  territory  has  always  been  beyond  the  line 
of  accurate  knowledge.     It  is  as  truly  a  terra  incog- 


122        CANADIAN    ENVIRONMENT   OF  THE    OL'ANANICIIE 

nita  as  when  it  was,  in  popular  l)clief,  the  homo  of 
dwarfs,  of  giants,  of  headless  rulers,  and  senii-hunian 
monsters.  Coextensive  with  this  great  peninsula  is 
the  Canadian  home  of  the  ouananiche.  Keaching 
from  Hudson  Strait  on  the  north  to  the  St.  Lawrence 
on  the  south,  and  from  Hudson  ]]ay  and  the  eastern 
boundary  of  Ontario  on  the  west  to  the  Gulf  of  St. 
Lawrence,  the  Strait  of  BcUe-lsle,  and  the  Atlantic 
on  the  west,  it  is  the  land  j^ay*  excellence  of  the  salmon 
and  the  trout  as  well  as  of  the  ouananiche,  and  the 
home  of  the  Eskimo  and  Montagnais.  This  vast  ter- 
ritory is  fully  a  thousand  miles  in  width  from  east  to 
west,  and  extends  from  north  to  south  for  a  distance 
of  over  1200  miles.  Its  area  is  estimated  at  over 
500,000  square  miles,  or  nearly  equal  to  that  of  the 
British  Islands,  France,  and  Germany  combined. 

The  coast  of  Labrador  is  supposed  to  have  been 
visited  by  Basque  traders  *  before  the  days  of  Colum- 
bus, and  by  the  Northmen  about  the  ninth  century,  f 
and  its  name  appears  to  be  of  Portuguese  origin.;}: 

*  Justin  Winsor's  Karratice  and  Critical  History  of  America, 
vol.  i.,  p.  74. 

f  Chdmhera'  Enciihpcvdia.     See  "Labrador." 

X  The  various  derivations  of  the  name  noted  in  Justin  Winsor's 
History,  vol.  i.,  pp.  31,  74,  appear,  astiie  editor  remarks  in  one  case, 
to  have  nothing  but  phonetic  resemblance  to  recommend  them. 
But  that  it  was  so  called  from  the  Portuguese  terra  labarador 
(cultivable  land)  is  not  improbable,  when  we  are  told  by  no  less 
an  authority  than  Mr.  "Winsor  himself  that  Eric  the  Red  gave 
Greenland  its  sunny  name  "  to  propitiate  intending  settlers."  ]\Iore- 
over,  there  are  not  wanting  those  who  practically  acquit  of  dishon- 
esty the  explorers  that  gave  Greenland  and  Labrador  the  names  they 
now  bear.  Phj'sical  cataclysms  and  the  closing  in  of  ice-packs  are 
held  responsible  by  Montgomery,  in  bis  poem  on  Greenland,  and  by 


CxVNADIAN   ENVIRONMENT  OF  THE   OUANANICIIE       183 

The  ethnography  of  the  Eskhno  and  Indian  inhabi- 
tants of  Labrador  is  most  curious  and  fascinating.  For 
some  of  them  a  partial  descent  from  okl  Iberian  stock 
has  been  chiimed,  their  l^asque  and  other  European 
progenitors  having,  in  all  probability,  gone  the  way 
of  the  early  Norse  settlers  in  Greenlantl,  wlio  are  be- 
lieved to  have  become  incorporated  with  the  Eskimos.* 

The  ^Montagnais  are  the  most  interesting  of  Cana- 
dian Indians  and  a  racial  curiosity.  Their  folk-lore 
is  exceedingly  rich,  and  they  make  splendid  guides 
for  the  camper,  the  canoeist,  and  the  angler  in  search 
of  new  and — by  white  men — untrodden  and  hitherto 
undiscovered  trails  through  the  forests  and  over  the 
waterways  of  their  far  northern  wilderness  home. 
Their  hunting-grounds  comprise  the  entire  Labrador 
peninsula,  with  the  exception  of  that  narrow  strip  of 
civilization  in  the  Province  of  Quebec  that  hugs  the 
St.  Lawrence  and  Ottawa  rivers,  and  generally  ex- 
tends but  as  many  leagues  inland  as  you  may  count 
upon  the  fingers  of  your  hands.     This  belt  of  civili- 

De  Courcy,  in  his  History  of  the  Church  in  America,  for  subsequent 
remarkulile  climatic  cliiinges  in  tliese  northern  hilitudcs,  which 
Lorenzo  Burge,  in  Lis  Pre-Glacial  Man,  attributes,  following  the 
hypothesis  of  Figuier,  to  so  natural  a  cause  as  the  precession  of 
the  equinoxes,  producing  a  grand  year  of  21,000  years,  with  a  great 
winter  lusting  10,500  years  for  each  of  the  poles  in  rotation.  That 
which  the  north  pole  is  at  present  enjoying  is  supposed  to  have 
commenced  its  approach  after  1248  B.C.,  when  that  pole  attained 
its  maximum  summer  duration,  and  tliis  great  season  of  cold  is,  we 
are  told,  to  continue  to  the  year  7388  of  our  era  before  attaining 
its  extreme  limit.  Humboldt  and  Rink,  however,  are  among 
those  who  believe  that  there  lias  been  no  material  climatic  change 
in  Greenland  since  tlie  Norse  da^'S. 
*  Iliuk's  Danish  Greenland. 


124       CANADIAN    ENVIRONMENT   OF  THE    OUANANICHE 

zation  can  no  longer  be  considered  a  portion  of  the 
land  of  the  Montagnais.  Nor  does  any  portion  of  it 
afford  a  home  for  the  wily  onananiche.  But  its  streams 
and  lakes  are  still  the  abiding-place  of  magniiicent 
trout,  and  until  the  last  few  years  none  but  the  most 
enterprising  and  most  venturesome  of  anglers  ever 
dreamed  of  going  more  than  a  day's  tramp  beyond 
them  for  a  fishing  excursion  or  pleasure  outing.  There 
was  no  necessity  for  so  doing.  Neither  is  there  at 
the  present  da}'.  At  Tadoussac  the  sea-trout  are  still 
caught  close  to  the  junction  of  the  Saguenay  and  the 
St.  Lawrence.  At  Murray  Bay  and  St.  Joachim  there 
are  well-stocked  streams  and  lakes  but  a  verv  few 
miles  inland,  almost  in  sight  of  the  St.  Lawrence. 
The  Montmorency  contains  magnihcent  specimens  of 
fontlnalis,  which  are  taken  but  three  or  four  miles 
above  its  famous  cataract.  Two  hours'  drive  into  the 
mountains,  due  north  of  Quebec,  brings  the  angler  to 
Lake  St.  Charles,  or  to  the  more  picturesque  Lake  Beau- 
port,  so  widely  and  justl}'  noted  for  the  beautiful, 
bright  livery  and  exquisite  flavor  of  the  trout  that 
inhabit  its  deep,  cool,  crystal  waters.  And  so  on  all 
through  the  settled  i)ortion  of  this  noithern  country. 
Until  quite  recently,  whenever  a  trail  through  the 
forest  or  a  summer  camping-tour  was  desired,  a  visit 
to  the  river  Jacques  Cartier,  some  twenty-five  or 
thirty  miles  north  of  Quebec,  was  considered  by  trout 
fishermen,  and  correctly  so,  a  somewhat  unusual  and 
exceedinglv  attractive  excursion  into  the  far-reachini»: 
wilds  whicii,  due  north  of  Quebec,  stretch  away  in 
the  direction  of  perpetus  1  ice  and  snow  for  over  1200 
miles.     Occasionally,  but  very  seldom,  a  more  advent- 


o 


B 
w 


CANADIAN   ENVIRONMENT    OF  THE    OUANANICIIE        125 

urous  angler,  with  both  leisure  and  means  at  his  dis- 
posal, undertook  the  overland  journey  from  Chicou- 
timi,  at  the  head  of  steamboat  navigation  on  the  Sag- 
uenay,  to  the  then  isolated  Lake  St.  John.  But  it 
was  a  long  and  tedious  trip,  occupying  in  the  first 
place  a  passage  by  steamer  for  twenty-four  hours,  and 
then  necessitating  a  cross-country  journey  of  fifty  to 
sixt}'"  miles,  and  it  is  very  small  wonder  that  it  was 
not  more  often  made,  even  with  the  belief  then  en- 
tertained by  man}''  anglers  and  ichthvologists  that  it 
conducted  to  the  only  waters  in  which  one  might 
expect  to  find  a  ouananiche. 

The  revolution  which  has  taken  place  in  angling 
matters  in  northern  Quebec  during  the  last  decade  is 
directly  traceable  to  the  construction  of  the  Quebec 
and  Lake  St.  John  Railway.  This  road  has  not  only 
opened  up  to  anglers  the  magnificent  stretches  of  for- 
est, lake,  and  stream  tlrough  which  it  runs  for  one 
hundred  and  ninety  miles  from  the  city  of  Quebec  to 
Lake  St.  John,  and  a«j:ain  for  fifty  miles  from  the 
great  lake  to  Chicoutimi,  but  has  rendered  accessible 
to  tourists  and  sportsmen  that  wonderland  of  the 
North — that  terra  incognita  that  stretches  away  from 
Lake  St.  John  towards  and  beyond  mysterious  Mis- 
tassini.  A  trail  three  hundred  miles  long  from  Quebec 
into,  these  magnificent  wilds  is  now  as  frequent  an 
occurrence  as  was  one  of  thirty  miles  from  the  same 
city  little  more  than  a  decide  ago;  while  cami)ing 
and  exploring  parties  in  quest  of  adventure  and  sport 
have  penetrated  by  portage  and  canoe  to  the  great 
lake  Mistassini,  some  two  hundred  and  fifty  miles  dis- 
tant  from  Lake  St.  John,  going  towards  the  north. 


126        CANADIAN    ENVIRONMENT   OF  THE   OUANANICHE 

And  Lake  Mistassini  is  not  a  third  of  the  distance 
from  Quebec  to  Hudson  Strait  across  the  great  Labra- 
dor peninsula,  though  the  trail  to  JVIistassini  from  the 
city  of  Quebec  is  longer  than  the  journey  from  Que- 
bec to  IS^ew  York.  From  a  comparatively  small  cor- 
ner of  the  territory  traversed  by  this  trail  there  could 
readily  be  taken  the  total  areas  of  the  Adirondacks, 
the  Eangelevs,  and  the  Yellowstone  National  Park. 
And  3'et  not  a  third  of  this  immense  fish  and  game 
preserve  has  been  traversed  by  tourists  or  sportsmen, 
the  part  actually  visited  by  any  white  man  having  been 
reached  by  only  two  or  three  isolated  parties,  who  have 
crossed  it  in  but  one  direction  and  drawn  through  it 
merely  a  single  trail.  It  is  next  to  impossible  to  form 
any  adequate  conception  of  the  extent  and  value  of 
this  vast  peninsula  as  a  national  and  even  a  continen- 
tal preserve  of  game  and  game-fish;  so  proportionate- 
ly insignificant,  in  comparison  with  its  practically  un- 
known territory,  are  the  localities  concerning  which 
we  have  any  positive  knowledge.  In  the  interior  of 
that  unknown  land  there  is  (in  isOG)  a  hitherto  un- 
surveyed  extent  of  country  larger  in  its  area  than 
that  of  Newfoundland  and  of  all  the  maritime  prov- 
inces of  the  Dominion  combined.  But  '"t  is  known 
to  be  frequented  by  immense  herds  of  caribou,  and 
portions  of  the  country  have  yielded  untold  quanti- 
ties of  valuable  furs  to  the  Indian  hunters  for  the 
Hudson  Bay  Company. 

From  the  enormous  size  of  some  of  the  rivers  and 
lakes  in  the  Labrador  peninsula,  and  from  the  num- 
ber and  weight  of  the  fish  which  they  contain,  it  is 
certain  that  much  of  the  interior  of  the  country  is  a 


CANADIAN    ENYIKONMENT    OF  THE   OUANANICIIE        137 

network  of  waterways  stocked  with  the  gamest  of  the 
game-fishes  of  the  North.  Mistassini  is  the  only  large 
inland  lake  north  of  the  Province  of  Quebec  that  had 
been  carefully  surveyed  up  to  1894:.  Mr.  Low  tells 
us  that  it  is  over  a  hundred  miles  in  length.  In  the  far 
east,  where  the  maps  show  only  dotted  lines,  signify- 
ing the  existence  of  an  unknown  lake,  Mr.  Low  in 
1S94  found  an  inland  body  of  water  larger  than  grand 
lake  Mistassini.  Michikamaw,  as  the  great  lake  is 
called  by  the  Indians,  is  fifty  miles  away  from  the 
dotted  lines  that  represent  it  on  the  maps,  and,  while 
it  is  at  least  a  hundred  miles  long,  it  is  much  wider 
than  Mistassini.  But  few  of  the  rivers  in  the  north- 
east territorj'^  have  been  surveyed  as  yet.  The  Low 
expedition  of  1804  was  the  first  party  of  white  men  to 
thoroughly  explore  the  great  falls  of  the  Hamilton 
Iviver,  which  are  the  finest  in  America,  if  not  in  the 
world.  Early  in  the  year  the  expedition  left  Esquimaux 
Eay  or  Hamilton  Lilet  to  cross  the  interior  of  Labra- 
dor. Mr.  Low  travelled  five  hundred  miles  in  dogr- 
sleighs,  making  exploi'ations.  Then  aboui  ]\Iarch  1st 
the  whole  party  commenced  the  ^  '^^cent  of  ILimilton 
River.  Six  or  eight  Eskimo  half-l.  jeds  were  engaged 
to  assist  in  hauling  provisions,  etc.,  but  were  dispensed 
with  after  a  fortnight,  each  of  the  remaining  men  hav- 
ing eight  hundred  pounds  of  supplies  to  carry,  necessi- 
tating three  trips,  or  five  including  returns,  and  that 
over  a  distance  of  three  hundred  miles,  equivalent  to  a 
journey  of  fifteen  hundred  miles.  Up  to  about  the  10th 
of  May  the  explorers  ascended  the  river  in  sleighs. 
Then  the  ice  gave  way,  and  the  progress  of  the  party 
was  rendered  extremely  dangerous  by  reason  of  the 


128       CANADIAN   ENVIRONMENT   OF  THE   OUANANICIIE 

large  masses  of  needle-shaped  ice-floes  which  met  the 
canoes.  One  canoe  upset,  and  two  Indians  were  ia 
the  water  for  nearly  half  an  hour.  The  great  falls  of 
the  Hamilton  River  were  reached  and  explored  prior 
to  the  going  out  of  the  ice,  and  numbers  of  beauti- 
ful photographs  obtained  from  all  points,  and  also  of 
the  ice-cones,  etc.  Xo  previous  expedition  could  have 
had  a  full  view  of  the  falls,  as  only  when  the  river 
is  frozen  can  they  be  approaclied.  In  five  miles  the 
river  has  a  total  fall  of  eight  liundred  feet.  In  the 
centre  of  the  drop  there  is  a  slieer  vertical  fall  of  three 
hundred  feet,  and  the  river  is  general^  as  large  as  the 
Ottawa.  In  a  quarter  of  a  mile  there  is  a  rise  of  seven 
hundred  feet  in  the  portage  leading  to  the  head  of  the 
falls.  The  cataract  is  confined  within  w^alls  five  hun- 
dred to  eight  hundred  feet  in  height  and  perfectly  verti- 
cal. In  places  below  the  falls  the  canon  narrows  to 
some  twenty  to  fifty  feet  in  width,  through  wdiich  the 
rush  of  water  is  indescribably  grand.  'Kcsxr  the  foot  of 
the  falls  Mr.  Low's  party  found  remains  of  the  boat, 
the  burning  of  which,  by  the  carelessly  left  embers  of 
a  camp-fire,  inflicted  such  misery  upon  the  members 
of  the  Bowdoin  College  exploratory  expedition.  The 
records  of  that  expedition  were  discovered  in  a  bottle 
above  the  falls,  and  Mr.  Low  added  to  them  those 
of  his  party.  The  canon  is  gradually  eating  its  way 
back,  and  the  glacial  period  of  the  world's  history 
has  left  undoubted  marks  upon  the  face  of  the 
country. 

Exceedingly  graphic  is  Mr.  Low's  description  of  the 
picturesque  canons  discovered  by  his  party  on  the 
Cauiapscow  Eiver,  which  is  the  principal  tributary 


CANADIAN   ENVIRONMENT   OF  THE    OUANANICIIE       129 

of  the  Koksoak  or  Ungava  River  that  empties  into 
Ungava  Bay.     He  says  in  a  private  letter  : 

"  The  river  flowing  out  of  the  lake  is  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  mile 
wide,  and  leaves  it  in  a  succession  of  heavy  rapids  for  three  or  four 
miles.     At  tlie  tliird  rapid  we  met  witli  wiiat  niiglit  have  been  a 
serious  accident.     Eaton's  canoe,  in  running  down,  struck  a  rock, 
knocked  a  hole  in  it  and  iipset,  throwing  men  and  outfit  into  tiie 
water.    Luckily  tlie  bags  holding  our  instruments  were  caught  by 
the  men  as  tlicy  fell  out,  and  so  were  saved.    Eaton  lost  his  satchel 
containing  his  toilet  outfit,  etc.,  along  with  our  tiierniometers  and 
weather  observations  to  date,  my  revolver,  and  other  sundries  ;  we 
also  lost  a  rifle  and  our  supply  of  pork — about  two  hundred  pounds. 
Tiie  flour  and  lighter  bags  floated,  and  were  picked  up  below  the 
next  rapid  by  the  other  canoe.     We  now  only  had  a  small  quantity 
of  bacon  left  in  the  other  canoe,  and  luckily  it  was  very  bad,  so 
that  we  were  not  inclined  to  eat  too  much  of  it.     Our  supplj-  of 
salt  was  melted,  and  from  here  to  Ungava  we  ate  food  prepared 
without  that  condiment.     It  is  nothing  after  j'ou  get  used  to  it, 
but  that  takes  some  time,  and  I  was  not  long  enougli  without  it 
not  to  think  that  the  bread  was  only  solidified  paste.     After  the 
accident  we  immediately  camped,  in  order  to  sum  up  tiie  losses, 
dr\-  the  l)lankets  and  outfit,  and  mend  the  canoe.  .  .  .  For  nearly 
one  Imndred  miles  below  the  lake,  the  river,  like  all  otliers  in  cen- 
tral Labrador,  flows  in  a  shallow  valley,  nearly  on  a  level  with  the 
general  surface,  and  is  a  succession  of  lake  expansions,  connected 
by  flat,  shallow  rapids  filled  with   boulders.      The  surrounding 
country  is  rolling,  with  low  ranges  of  hills  at  intervals.     Below, 
the  river  turns  sharply  eastward,  and,  rushing  along  the  foot  of  a 
range  of  rockj'  hills,  falls,  in  a  half-do/x-n  rnilos,  over  tln-ce  hundred 
feet  into  a  narrow  valley,  surrounded  by  liigh  hills  that  rise  from 
six  hundred  to  eight  hundred  feet  above  the  water.     From  here  to 
its  mouth  the  stream  has  always  a  distinct  valley,  and  in  several 
places  the  mountains  upon  both  sides  rise  almost  perpendicularly 
to  the  height  of  one  thousand  feet,  and  often  higlier.     Their  sum- 
mits are  bare  of  trees,  and  are  covered  witli  white  moss  and  Arctic 
shrubs.    Tiie  lower  parts  are  wooded  vvitii  small,  straggling,  black 
spruce.     From  tlie  point  where  the  river  first  enters  tlie  valley,  for 
over  one  hundred  miles,  it  descends  at  an  alarming  rate,  and  could 

9 


130       CANADIAN    ENVIRONMENT   OF   THE   OUANANICIIE 

not  possibly  be  ascoiuled  with  loaded  canoes.  In  the  niajoritj'  of 
places  where  the  water  is  broken  the  rapids  are  very  shallow  and 
filled  with  large  boulders  that  in  the  descent  appear  to  rush  at  the 
canoes,  while  a  constant  crossing  and  recrossing  of  the  stream  must 
be  made  to  escape  the  shoal  wr'.er.  Besides  these  almost  contin- 
uous rapids,  that  extend  nearly  to  tlie  river's  mouth,  three  hundred 
miles  below,  tliere  are  a  number  of  direct  falls  of  considerable  gran- 
deur, and  four  caiions,  where  the  river  narrows  and  rushes  through 
steep,  rocky  gorges.  The  second  is  the  finest  I  have  ever  seen,  and 
if  the  falls  on  the  Hamilton  River  are  better  they  are  ver}'^  Avild 
indeed.  The  river  descends  with  a  fall  of  thirty  feet  into  a  gorge, 
varying  from  thirty  to  one  hundred  feet  wide,  with  perpendicular, 
and,  in  many  places,  overhanging,  jagged,  rocky  walls  that  rise 
three  hundred  feet  above  the  rushing  torrent.  This  gorge  is  about 
a  mile  and  a  half  long,  and  terminates  with  a  fall  of  one  hun- 
dred feet  into  a  circular  basin,  where  the  water  is  all  churned 
to  foam.  From  this  basin  a  narrow  channel  leads  into  a  second 
and  larger  basin  thirtj''  feet  below,  into  which  the  river  precipi- 
tates itself  in  a  decreasing  series  of  enormo\is  waves.  Below  for 
five  miles  the  banks  remain  perpendicular,  and  from  one  hundred 
to  three  hundred  feet  high.  The  total  fall  is  three  hundred  and 
fiftj'  feet,  and  deducting  one  hundred  and  sixty  feet  of  direct  fall, 
the  descent  in  the  cafion  is  one  hundred  and  ninety  feet  in  a  mile 
without  any  break.  We  had  a  hard  time  getting  past  this  obstruc- 
tion. The  only  place  where  we  could  get  down  was  by  the  gorge 
of  a  small  stream  flowing  into  the  larger  basin  at  the  fool  of  the 
narrow  gorge.  This  small  stream  has  a  small  caiion  of  its  own, 
where  it  joins  the  main  stream  with  perpendicular  walls  two  hun- 
dred  feet  high.  Near  its  junction  the  walls  have  fallen  in  and  com- 
pletely blocked  the  stream  for  one  liundred  and  fifty  yards  with 
great  masses  of  rock  piled  up  seventy-five  feet  above  the  water, 
which,  in  trickling  through  below,  falls  twenty-five  feet.  We  liad 
to  carry  our  canoes  and  outtits  over  this  obstruction,  and  the  diffi- 
culty of  the  task  may  be  imagined  when  it  took  us  over  half  a  day 
to  pass  that  one  liuudred  and  fifty  yards,  and  each  one  in  the  party 
had  his  clothes  and  person  more  or  less  damaged.  When  we  got 
into  the  valley  we  did  not  know  how  soon  we  might  have  to  crawl 
out  again,  as  the  river  below  rushes  along  with  heavy  rapids,  and, 
liaving  a  sharp  bend,  we  could  not  tell  what  was  coming.    Luckily, 


CANADIAN    ENVIRONMENT   OF  THE   OUANANICIIE        131 

however,  the  river  soon  widened  out  below  the  bend  and  every- 
thing was  comparatively  plain  sailing." 


At  Fort  Cliimo,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Ungava  Eiver, 
the  sportsman,  in  common  with  all  the  other  people 
of  the  place — Hudson  Bay  Company's  officials,  Ind- 
ians, and  Eskimos — must  hunt  for  his  living.  But  in 
the  proper  season  there  is  a  splendid  supply  of  game 
to  be  hunted.  Fortunate,  too,  that  it  is  so,  especially 
for  those  who  have  to  winter  there.  Su})plies  from 
England  reach  Ungava  but  once  a  year,  whitlier  the 
steamer  Labrador  leaves  them  about  the  end  of  July 
or  beginning  of  August,  taking  back  with  her  the 
skins  collected  at  the  fort.  Flour,  salt,  tea,  and  to- 
bacco are  the  principal  supplies  sent  to  Ungava.  A 
natural  potato  is  never  seen  there ;  the  climate  will 
not  permit  of  its  growth,  and  the  steamer  for  Ungava 
leaves  England  before  the  potato  crop  there  is  ripe. 
Desiccated  potatoes  are,  however,  sent  out  with  other 
supplies.  In  tlie  fall  of  the  year  the  occupants  of  the 
fort  set  about  stocking  their  larder  for  winter.  For 
the  number  of  men  employed  there,  and  the  thirty 
to  forty  dogs  which  form  part  of  the  establishment, 
some  four  hundred  to  five  hundred  deer  are  annually 
required.  Only  a  few  years  ago  Mr.  Mackenzie,  tlien. 
the  factor  at  the  fort,  assisted  by  three  other  men, 
went  out  upon  the  river  Koksoak,  not  far  from  the 
fort,  where  the  stream  is  a  mile  and  a  quartei  wide, 
and  in  tlie  course  of  a  few  hours  speared  and  killed 
three  hundred  deer.  A  drove  of  five  hundred  were 
seen  to  be  about  crossing  the  stream,  and  while  two 
Eskimos  were  sent  in  one  kayak  to  head  them  off 


132       CANADIAN   ENVIRONMENT    OF  THE    OUANANICIIK 

from  tlie  shore  towards  which  they  were  swimming, 
another  kayak  put  out  behind  them  to  prevent  their 
return.  Mr.  IMackenzie  and  his  three  assistants,  in 
two  other  kayaks,  armed  themselves  with  spears  to 
do  the  kilhng,  and  the  suction  of  the  water  caused 
by  the  rapid  swimming  of  the  herd  down -stream 
drew  the  canoes  quicklj^  after  them.  It  was,  of 
course,  an  awful  butchery ;  but  the  slayers  were  Imnt- 
ing  for  their  own  existence,  and  not  for  pleasure  or 
sport.  Upon  another  occasion  Mr.  ]\rackenzie  took 
up  his  rifle  to  go  out  and  shoot  some  fresh  meat.  It 
was  on  the  26th  of  October,  and  he  took  Avith  him 
fifty  cartridges.  He  spent  two  hours  in  hurting,  and 
when  he  returned  had  killed  no  less  than  forty-four 
deer.  Some  of  the  exceedingly  pretty  heads  of  these 
very  same  animals  are  now  to  be  seen  ornamenting 
the  hospitable  apartments  of  the  Montreal  Fish  and 
Game  Protection  Club.  In  the  winter  of  1892-93 
there  was  such  a  scarcity  of  deer  at  IJngava  that  some 
two  hundred  Indians  died  of  starvation. 

Like  their  kinsmen  of  Mistassini  and  Lake  St,  John, 
the  Indians  of  the  far  Xorth  are  extremely  supersti- 
tious. The  Eskimos  of  Ungava  are,  if  possible,  even 
more  superstitious  than  tlie  Xascapee  Indians,  and 
are  much  addicted  to  conjuring.  They  ought  to 
make  very  good  subjects  for  missionary  enterprise, 
for  they  are  entirely  destitute  of  any  religious  prac- 
tices or  professions.  Their  sole  religious  belief  is  in 
the  existence  of  two  great  Spirits  —  one  good,  the 
'  other  bad.  So  long  as  they  are  blessed  with  health 
and  a  sufficiency  of  food  they  are  content,  and  never 
trouble  themselves  about  the  existence  or  pleasure  of 


CANADIAN    ENVIRONMENT   OF  THE   OUANANICIIE       133 

oither  Spirit.  When  the  chase  turns  out  badly,  or 
anything  else  connected  with  their  small  concerns 
^roes  wrong,  it  is  the  work  of  the  Evil  Spirit,  who 
must  consequently  be  propitiated.  The  Good  Spirit 
never  causes  them  a  moment's  consideration ;  he  is 
simply  their  presiding  genius  when  all  goes  well,  and 
there  is  nothing  whatever  to  be  gained  by  troubling 
themselves  about  him  at  all.  He  would  never  do 
them  any  harm  in  any  case,  and  consequently  there 
is  no  object  in  tr}ing  to  propitiate  him.  These  Eski- 
mos never  bury  their  dead,  notwithstanding  the  efforts 
made  b}'"  the  few  whites  upon  the  coast  to  induce 
them  so  to  do.  The  remains  of  their  dead  friends 
are  simply  cari-ied  back  from  the  shore  and  left  upon 
the  ground,  generally  upon  some  little  eminence, 
where  boulders  are  often  placed  over  them.  Some 
of  them  now  enclose  their  dead  in  rough  coffins,  but 
until  quite  recent  times  the  coffin  was  unknown  to 
their  funeral  arrangements.  In  order  that  the  de- 
ceased may  not  be  without  the  means  of  securing 
his  game  upon  the  happy  hunting-grounds  to  which 
he  has  gone,  his  gun  is  left  within  an  arm's  length  of 
him,  and  his  kayak  or  skin-covered  canoe  is  placed  so 
near  as  to  be  always  available — not  for  the  crossing 
of  the  Styx  or  the  Acheron,  but  rather  for  the  use  of 
the  dead  hunter  in  his  expeditions  in  and  about  his 
new  abode,  where  his  surviving  friends  at  least  are 
not  of  the  opinion  that  "  there  shall  be  no  more  sea." 
Kot  infrequently  have  they  persuaded  themselves 
that  the  departed  have  had  need,  in  the  great  beyond, 
of  the  canoe,  the  gun,  and  the  other  implements  of 
the  chase  that  were  placed  at  their  disposal.     And 


134        CANADIAN    ENVIRONMENT   OF   THE   Ol'ANANICIIK 

what  clearer  evidence  of  the  fact  to  them,  who  wore 
if^norant  of  the  sacrilegious  plundering  of  their  dead 
by  the  predatory  Nascapees,  than  the  removal  of 
these  objects  from  where  they  had  lieen  faithfully 
left  by  loving  hands  ?  Very  often,  but  always  un- 
successfully, the  employes  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Com- 
])any  have  endeavored  to  dissuade  the  bereaved  rela- 
tives of  deceased  Eskimos  from  depriving  the  living 
of  those  implements  of  the  chase  that  they  could  so 
ill  spare,  in  order  to  leave  them  by  the  remains  of 
their  dead.  Any  deviation  from  the  custom  would 
only  be  regarded  by  them,  and  by  all  their  acquaint- 
ances, as  manifesting  an  unfilial  disregard  for  the  fut- 
ure comfort  and  ha]>piness  of  the  departed.  As  a 
matter  of  fact,  even  his  lesser  creature  comforts  are 
not  forgotten  by  the  surviving  members  of  his  family, 
who  never  fail  at  their  final  leave-taking  of  him  to 
place  in  his  possession  inside  of  the  coffin,  if  there 
happen  to  be  one,  a  sufficiency  of  pipes  and  tobacco 
to  last  him  for  at  least  several  stages  of  his  long  jour- 
ney. And  when  they  return  from  their  next  great 
bunt  they  repair  to  the  resting-place  of  his  body  and 
enjoy  a  rare  feast,  leaving  a  choice  portion  of  deer 
flesh  behind  them  for  the  use  of  the  deceased  in  case 
of  emergency — such,  for  instance,  as  rarity  of  game  or 
failure  of  the  chase  in  his  present  hunting-grounds. 
If  it  still  remains  where  it  was  left  when  they  again 
visit  the  scene,  it  is  evident  that  it  was  not  required ; 
but  occasionally  it  goes  the  way  of  the  kayak  and  the 
gun. 

Despite  their  peculiar  beliefs  and  superstitions,  the 
Eskimos  do  not  share  all  those  of  the  Kascapee  Ind- 


CANADIAN    ENVIllONMKNT    OF   THE   OUANANICIIE       185 

ians.  The  latter,  for  instance,  will  not  on  any  con- 
sideration give  any  of  the  antlers  of  the  game  they 
kill  to  be  taken  away  from  their  hunting-grounds. 
To  do  so  would  bring  them  bad  luck  in  future  deer- 
huntiuii:.  An  Eskimo  has  no  dread  of  anything  of 
the  kind.  But  he  and  all  his  people  are  firm  believers 
in  the  elHcacy  of  conjui'ing.  The  Eskimo  conjurer  is 
much  respected,  or  dreaded,  as  the  case  may  be,  and 
possesses  as  much  control  over  his  fellow-countrymen 
as  the  Indian  medicine-man  does  over  the  other  mem- 
bers of  his  own  tribe.  There  is  a  noted  conjurer  at 
Fort  Chimo,  in  Ungava,  called  Ogioktabinik,  which 
being  translated  means  ''  Square  flippers'  meat,"  or 
"Big  Seal."  He  is  described  as  being  very  tall  and 
very  fair,  and  quite  commanding  in  appearance,  and 
Mr.  Mackenzie  is  my  authority  for  the  statement  that 
the  Eskimos  of  Ungava  in  general  are  physically  a 
splendid  race  of  men,  who  in  no  wise  answer  the  de- 
scription of  the  small  people  of  the  Atlantic  coast  of 
Labrador,  usuall}^  taken  as  types  of  the  race.  And 
])erhaps,  after  all,  they  may  be  what  they  are  taken 
for,  and  the  purest  type  of  the  Eskimo  people  ;  and 
their  namesakes  at  Ungava,  the  larger  and  liner-look- 
ing men,  among  whom  are  women  said  to  be  nearly 
six  feet  in  height,  may  be  less  pure  in  their  descent, 
while  through  their  vems  may  course  a  mixture  of 
blood,  part  being  foreign  to  the  race  whose  name  they 
bear.  Whence  may  this  have  come  ?  From  old  Ibe- 
rian stock?  Or  from  hardy  Norsemen,  who  became 
merged  with  the  Eskimos  after  having  landed  upon 
these  coasts,  long  ere  Columbus  saw  the  light  of  day  ? 
At  all  events,  there  were  giants  in  those  days  in  the 


136        CANADIAN    ENVIRONMENT   OF   THE   OUANANICIIE 

noi'tli  of  the  Labrador  peninsula,  if  we  can  believe 
what  an  Eskimo  girl  told  Father  Charlevoix,  in  1720, 
of  the  men  of  monstrous  size  whom  she  had  seen  in 
her  country,  some  of  whom  were  ami)hibious,  and 
could  remain  under  water  for  three-cjuarters  of  an 
hour  at  a  time. 

There  are  numbers  of  other  large  lakes  in  the  north- 
east territories  besides  Mistassini  and  Michikamaw, 
including  several  that  are  larger  than  I  ake  St.  John. 
There  are  other  large  rivers  running  from  the  interior 
of  this  vast  peninsula  to  the  north  besides  the  Kok- 
soak,  and  to  the  east  in  addilion  to  the  Hamilton. 
But  scarcely  anything  is  known  of  them.  The  nu- 
merous streams  that  drain  the  Labrador  ])eninsula 
towards  the  south  into  the  Iliver  and  Gulf  of  St.  Law- 
rence are  worthy  of  a  volume  to  themselves.  ^Nfost 
of  them  are  fairly  well  known  to  salmon  fishermen  in 
portions,  at  least,  of  their  courses ;  and  as  few  of  them 
are  now  open  to  the  public,  they  do  not  call  for  any 
extended  notice  in  this  book.  J>ut  a  description  of 
this  great  peninsula  would  be  incomplete  without  at 
least  a  mention  of  some  of  the  more  important  of 
these  far-famed  salmon  rivers.  The  most  easterly 
stream  of  this  coast  about  which  any  white  man  pro- 
fesses to  know  anything  practical  is  the  Natashipian, 
which  enters  the  (lulf  of  St.  Lawrence  at  a  distance 
of  nearly  five  hundred  miles  from  Quebec.  Four  or 
five  years  ago  Mr.  J.  '•.  A.  Creighton,  of  Ottawa, 
while  fishing  the  river  with  Senator  Ednuinds,  of 
Vermont,  and  other  friends,  upset  his  canoe  in  killing 
a  salmon  at  the  head  of  a  dangei'ous  rapid,  and  nar- 
rowly escaped  with  his  life,  liis  Indian  guide  going 


CANADIAN    ENVIKONMEis'T   OF   TUE   OUANANICIIE       137 

down  the  rapids  to  his  death.  Here  it  was,  too,  that 
Walter  Macfarlane,  one  of  Montreal's  merchant 
princes,  lost  his  life.  The  "  Devil's  Whirlpool  "  in 
this  river  was  some  years  ago  the  scene  of  an  awful 
tragedy.  A  scion  of  an  English  ducal  family,  named 
Astley,  persisted,  against  the  advice  of  his  friends  and 
Indian  guides,  in  essaying  to  run  the  whirlpool.  As 
the  canoe  reached  the  centre  of  the  dreaded  vortex 
it  whirled  around  and  was  engulfed.  Tlie  Indian 
paddler  saw  what  was  coming  and  jumped,  but  was 
barely  in  the  air  when  a  shot  from  the  rifle  of  one  of 
Astley's  friends  on  shore  made  him  share  the  fate  of 
the  Englishman.  Tii<nr  bodies  were  recovered  about 
two  miles  down  the  river,  disfigured  beyond  recogni- 
tion. It  was  in  order  to  reach  this  stream  that,  some 
fifteen  years  ago,  the  Duke  of  lieaufort,  the  present 
Duke  of  Sunderland,  poor  W.  J.  Florence,  and  the  late 
Ned  Sothern  paid  the  captain  of  an  Allan  steamer 
£200  sterling  to  go  out  of  his  way  a  few  miles  and 
drop  them  in  a  small  boat,  whence  they  got  to  their 
destination.  For  the  Ilomaine  Iliver,  Mr.  C.  E.  Fitch, 
president  of  the  American  Watch  Company,  pays 
81000  a  year.  At  the  mouth  of  the  Little  Es(iuimaux, 
which  is  a  far  eastern  river,  it  is  claimed  that  50,000 
salmon  have  been  taken  in  nets  in  a  single  year.  Tiie 
angling  in  the  Moisie  River  is  owned  by  Mr.  Alex- 
ander Eraser,  of  Quebec,  who  has  leased  it  for  some 
years  past  to  Messrs.  Amos  Little,  E.  P.  Ijorden,  and 
friends,  of  Phihidelphia.  He  pays  the  federal  govern- 
ment $1000  a  year  for  the  privilege  of  taking  salmon 
in  nets  at  the  mouth  of  the  river.  West  of  the  Esqui- 
maux, and  between  it  and  the  Xatashquan,  are  the  fol- 


138       CANADIAN    ENVIRONMENT   OF   THE    OUANANICIIE 

lowing  streams  :  the  St.  Augustine,  the  Little  Mecca- 
tina,  and  the  Xetaginau,  all  reported  by  the  Indians  to 
be  good  salmon  rivers,  though  -there  are  falls  a  few 
miles  from  the  moutli  of  the  latter  which  it  is  prob- 
able tlie  salmon  cannot  leap ;  the  Etamamiou,  the 
Coacoachoo,  which  flows  into  a  bay  where  salmon 
are  taken  in  large  quantities ;  the  Olomonasheebo,  the 
AVasliecootai,  the  Great  and  Little  Musquarro,  and  the 
Kegashka.  This  last  and  the  Olomonasheebo  have  cat- 
aracts a  few  miles  from  their  mouths,  and  above  them 
contain,  of  course,  no  salmon.  On  the  Washecootai 
and  the  Great  and  Little  Musquarro  the  fishing  is  re- 
ported excellent.  West  of  the  Xatashquan,  and  situ- 
ated between  it  and  the  Saguenay,  and  in  the  order 
hereinafter  mentioned  as  we  go  westward,  are  the  fol- 
lowing rivers:  the  Goynish,  the  Wabisipi,  the  Great 
and  Little  Watsheeshoo,  the  Corneille,  Romaine,  Min- 
gan,  St.  John,  Magpie,  Thunder,  Sheldrake,  Manitou, 
Moisie,  Margaret,  Trinity,  Laval,  and  the  Little  Ber- 
geronnes. 

Some  of  the  large  northern  tributaries  of  Lake  St. 
Jolm — such,  for  instance,  as  the  Peribonca,  the  Mistas- 
sini,  and  the  Ashuapmouchouan — are  from  three  iiun- 
dred  to  five  hundred  miles  each  in  length.  IMarvel- 
lous  stories  are  told  by  the  Indians  of  the  trout  tliat 
are  to  be  taken  in  the  headwaters,  not  only  of  tbese 
famous  ouananiclie  streams,  but  of  the  salmon  riv>;rs 
of  Labrador  already  mentioned,  of  the  Ottawa  a  id 
St.  Maurice  and  their  tributaries,  as  well  as  in  i  :»o 
other  rivers  and  lakes  of  the  interior  at  these  high 
latitudes,  and  on  the  farther  side  of  the  height  of 
land.     Should  the  time,  therefore,  ever  come  that  r.lie 


CANADIAN   ENVIRONMENT    OF   THE   OL'ANANICHE        139 

immense  lake  and  river  teriitory  of  northern  Quebec 
becomes  overfished— n  contingency  which  does  not  at 
present  appear  to  be  within  the  range  of  possibilities 
—there  will  certainly  be  angling  farther  north  in  this 
Labrador  peninsula  for  all  the  sportsmen  of  the  con- 
tinent for  many  generations  of  men. 


Ipart  m 


IN  CAMP  AND   CANOE 


m  CAMP  AND  CANOE 


Lakes  and  rivers  form  so  large  a  proportion  of  the 
surface  of  the  great  Labrador  peninsula  that  almost 
the  entire  territory  may  be  traversed  in  every  direc- 
tion by  means  of  the  indispensable  birch-bark  canoe. 
Here  the  frail  craft  finds  "a  smoother  highway," 
says  Murray,  "  than  Rome  ever  budded  for  her  char- 
iots." In  this  novel  and  entrancing  mode  of  locomo- 
tion, and  in  the  camping  experiences  in  the  depths  of 
the  virgin  forest  lie  some  of  the  principal  charms  of 
a  fishing  excursion  in  these  Northern  wilds.  Even 
witliout  the  splendid  angling  to  be  had  upon  such 
excursions,  the  trips  in  question  might  well  count 
among  the  most  enjoyable  of  summer  outings.  How 
admirably  is  this  idea  expressed  by  George  Dawson, 
of  Albany,  in  T/ie  Pleasures  of  Angling  !  What  lover 
of  the  woods,  what  angler,  will  not  enjoy  the  re-read- 
ing of  the  following  lines  : 

"They  are  greatly  in  error  wlio  suppose  that  all  there  is  of  fishing 
is  to  fish  ;  that  is  but  the  body  of  tlie  art.  Its  soul  and  sjiirit  is  in 
what  the  angler  sees  and  feels  ;  in  the  murmur  of  the  brook  ;  in  the 
music  of  the  birds  ;  in  the  simple  beauty  of  the  wild-flowers  which 
peer  at  him  from  every  nook  in  the  valley,  and  from  every  sunny 
spot  on  the  hillside  ;  in  the  moss-covered  rocli  ;  in  the  ever-shifting 


144  IN    CAMP    AND   CANOE 

sunshine  and  shadow,  which  give  ever-varying  beanly  to  the  sides 
and  summits  of  the  mountiiins  ;  iu  the  bracing  atmosphere  wliich 
environs  him  ;  in  the  odor  of  the  pine  and  hemlocii  and  sjnuce  and 
cedar  forests,  whicli  is  sweeter  to  the  senses  of  the  true  woodsman 
tiian  ail  tlie  artificially  compounded  odors  winch  imprei^nate  the 
boudoirs  of  artificial  life  ;  in  the  spray  of  the  waterfall  ;  iu  the 
giace  and  ciirve  and  dash  of  the  swift-rushing  torrent  ;  in  the  whirl 
of  the  foaming  eddy  ;  in  the  transparent  depths  of  the  shady  pool 
where,  in  midsummer,  the  speckled  trout  and  silver  salmon  'most 
do  congregate'  ;  in  the  revived  appetite  ;  in  the  repose  which  comes 
to  ]}\n\  while  reclining  upon  his  sweet  smelling  couch  of  hemlock 
boughs;  in  the  hush  of  the  woods  where  moon  and  stars  shine  in 
upon  him  through  his  open  tent  or  bark -covered  shar.ty  ;  in  the 
morning-song  of  the  robin  ;  in  the  rapid  coursing  blood,  quickened 
by  the  pure,  unstinted  mountain  air  which  imparts  to  the  lungs  the 
freshness  and  vigor  of  its  own  vitality  ;  in  the  crackling  of  the 
newly  kindled  camp-fire  ;  in  the  restored  health,  and  in  the  one  thou- 
sand other  indescribable  and  delightful  realities  and  recollections  of 
the  angler's  camp  life  on  lake  or  river  during  the  season  when  it  is 
right  to  go  a-fishing.  It  is  these,  and  not  alone  or  chiefly  the  mere 
art  of  catching  flsh,  which  render  the  gentle  art  a  source  of  ever- 
growing pleasure." 

Dearly,  too,  do  I  love  to  linger  again  and  again  over 
that  magnificent  deification  of  Nature  by  my  eloquent 
friend  Mr.  W.  II.  II.  Murra}"",  in  his  introductory  chap- 
ter upon  out-door  life,  to  his  book  on  LaJte  C/unnjjJain 
(md  its  Shores.  It  is  a  beautiful  prose  poem  in  classic 
English,  and  as  one  reads  the  productions  of  this  mar- 
vellous mind  that  "  hangs  odes  on  hawthorns  and  ele- 
gies on  brambles,"  he  seems  to  be  breathing  into  mind 
an<l  body  "  the  cool,  pure  air,  pungent  with  gummy 
odors  and  strong  with  the  smell  of  the  sod  and  the 
rootlaced  mould  of  the  underlying  earth";  and  if  he 
be  an  angler  or  hunter  or  has  ever  done  any  camp- 
ing out   in   the   woods,  he  feels  like   an   impatient 


IN    CAMP    AND   CANOE  145 

stoed  prancing  to  be  off,  and  longs  to  be  again  un- 
der the  trees  by  the  shore  of  some  inland  lake  or 
stream. 

It  is  next  to  impossible  to  overestimate  the  value 
of  the  splendid  facilities  for  out-door  life  and  for  an 
indulgence  in  the  health -giving  sports  of  woods  and 
waters  afforded  by  the  ])riraeval  forests,  magniiicent 
streams,  and  numberless  lakes  of  northern  Canada. 
My  late  lamented  friend  tmd  angling  companion,  Dr. 
Lundy,  of  Philadelphia,  asiks : 

"Is  tliis  fondness  for  fishini;  md  liunting  or  canipin!?  in  the 
woods,  on  the  part  of  men  and  wDtnen  of  the  higliost  culture  and 
retiuement,  an  inherited  taste  nwl  propensity  derived  through  a 
long  line  of  ancient  kings,  princci,  and  nobles,  so  fond  of  the  chase, 
from  our  unknown  prehistoric  ficestors?  .  .  .  Civilization,  over- 
done by  tiie  refinements  of  mere  ntelligence  and  the  excessive  ac- 
cumulation of  mere  material  we,  1th,  begets  a  luxurious  ease  and 
corruption  of  which  the  body  politic  and  social  at  last  dies,  or  else 
barbarism  comes  to  make  in  cud  of  it,  and  to  organize  a  new  state 
of  things.  Human  nature,  weakened  and  depraved  by  the  exces- 
sive indulgonceb  of  civilized  life,  reeds  the  new  blood  and  stronger 
muscle  which  barbarism  gives.  Or,  rather,  the  nervous  and  worn- 
out  denizens  of  our  cities  and  large  towns  must  return  to  the  sim- 
plicity and  invigorating  influences  of  nature  to  recuperate  their 
wasted  energies  and  restore  the  ecpiilibrium  of  mind  and  body. 
They  must  go  to  the  woods,  the  first  native  life -element  of  the 
human  race  ;  and  our  homesickness,  an  instinctive  yearning  after 
the  garden  home  of  our  forefathers,  haunts  the  nomad  of  the  desert 
as  well  as  the  inliabitants  of  luxurious  cities.  .  .  .  Moses  and  Dar- 
win are  agreed  on  the  point  that  man  was  not  first  placed  in  a 
desert,  or  a  cultivated  field,  or  a  city,  but  in  the  forest,  in  a  garden 
or  park  ;  and  if  this  park  be  utterly  destroyed,  then  we  should  lose 
all  health -giving  influences  and  means  of  subsistence,  the  sweet 
music  of  song-birds,  the  purest  enjoyments  of  our  early  years  in 
fishing  and  hunting,  and  'nature's  remedies  for  the  mental  discords 
of  manhood.'     We  should  starve  and  die." 

10 


146  IN   CAMP   AND   CANOE 

Dr.  Lundy  closes  his  privately  printed  book  *  (which 
it  was  my  privilege  to  review,  shortly  after  the  death 
of  my  revered  friend,  in  Shooting  and  FisJdng  of  Jan- 
uary 26, 1893)  with  the  following  verse: 

"A  life  in  the  woods  for  me  ; 

A  camp  by  the  crj-stal  stream, 
Where  all  is  fresh  and  free, 

And  pure  as  a  maiden's  dream  ; 
Where  the  birds  their  revels  keep, 

And  the  deer  go  bounding  by  ; 
Where  the  night  breeze  rocks  to  sleep. 

With  its  sweetest  lullaby." 

Surelv  it  becomes  every  true  lover  of  the  woods  to 
raise  his  voice,  whenever  and  wherever  the  opportu- 
nity offers,  for  their  preservation.  Settlers  and  others 
in  this  Xew  World  are  too  apt  to  regard  a  forest-tree 
as  an  enemy.  "Cut  it  down,"  is  the  battle-cry; 
"  why  cumbereth  it  the  ground  ?"  I  would  that  all 
such  would  bear  in  mind  the  quaint  remark  of  an  old 
writer  on  forest-trees  quoted  by  Evelyn  :  "  Trees  and 
woods  have  twice  saved  the  world,  first  by  the  Ark, 
then  by  the  Cross,  making  full  amends  for  the  evil 
fruit  borne  by  the  Tree  in  Paradise  by  that  which 
was  borne  on  the  Tree  in  Calvary." 

John  Evel}^,  already  referred  to,  wrote  his  Sylva 
during  the  reign  of  the  last  of  the  Stuart  kings,  fore- 
seeing that  the  time  would  come  Avhen  England  would 
have  to  be  supplied  with  her  building  material  from 
other  lands. 

The  establishment,  in  somewhat  recent  years,  of 

*  The  Saranac  Exiles. 


IN   CAMP    AND   CANOE  147 

forestry  associations  in  various  parts  of  the  United 
States  and  Canada,  and  the  modern  gro  ,vth  of  a  more 
healthy  public  sentiment  in  regard  to  forest  protec- 
tion, are  among  the  hopeful  signs  of  the  times. 

Any  lover  of  the  woods  who  may  chance  to  take 
up  this  book  will  pardon  me  for  reprinting  here  wliat 
dear  old  Dr.  Lundy  says  of  Sunday  among  the  forest- 
trees  : 

"Here  the  church  doors  are  always  open  ;  the  grand  cathedral 
ai<les  are  full  of  light  and  heauty  so  soft  and  entrancing  as  to  fill 
tlie  soul  with  childlike  delight,  leading  up  as  they  do  along  the 
mighty  columns  of  evergreen  life  to  tlie  vast  blue  apse  of  heaven, 
wliere  clouds  of  incense  are  rolling  away  in  rainbow  luies,  and 
where  the  bright  windows  are  gleaming  with  the  smiling  faces  of 
our  dear  departed  ones  in  tlie  blessed  company  of  the  Lord  and 
his  countless  host  of  celestial  and  earthly  worthies." 

That  accomplished  botanist  and  brilliant  writer  Dr. 
Hugh  Macmillan,  speaking  of  the  influences  and  func- 
tions of  a  pine  forest,  says : 

"  The  pine  is  the  earth's  divining-rod  that  discovers  water  in  the 
thirsty  desert,  the  rod  of  IMoses  that  smites  the  barren  rock  and 
causes  the  living  fountain  to  gush  forth.  .  .  .  We  see  the  presence 
and  hear  the  voice  of  the  Lord  God  among  the  pine-trees  as  among 
the  trees  of  the  garden  of  Eden.  Each  tree  is  aflame  with  Ilini  as 
truly  as  was  the  Burning  Bush." 

Murray*  contrasts  the  woods  with  the  sea,  and, 
after  picturing  the  ghastly  scenes  of  the  drowned, 
discovered  on  the  beach  after  a  storm,  says : 

"  But  the  woods,  the  dear,  frank,  innocent  woods.  God  bless 
them  !  They  kill  no  one.  At  their  sweet  roots  no  lovers,  sleeping, 
die.     Along  their  green  hedges  no  man  and  maiden  lie  side  by  side, 

*  Lake  Champlain  and  its  Shores,  p.  135. 


148  IN   CAMP    AND   CANOE 

dead,  killed  by  their  treachery.  Once  in  a  hundred  years,  perhaps, 
one  man,  and  he  by  accident,  is  killed  by  the  falling  of  a  tree — 
some  poor  dead  tree  that  3uld  not  stand  one  instant  longer,  nor 
help  from  falling  just  then  and  there.  Aye,  the  dear  woods  that 
kill  no  one,  but  rather  warn  you  to  keep  out  of  their  dc^.ths,  near 
their  bright  margins,  wliere  the  sun  chines,  flowers  bloom,  and 
open  spaces  are  ;  the  woods  that  cool  you  so  with  their  stored  cool- 
ness ;  rest  you  so  with  their  untaxed  restf ulness  ;  that  never  moan 
of  nights  because  they  have  killed  any  one,  but  rather  because  any 
one,  for  any  c.use,  must  be  killed,  the  world  over.  Yes,  yes. 
John  was  right.     There  will  be  '  no  sea  there  ' !" 

It  Avill  be  gratifying  intelligence  to  every  angler 
and  other  sportsmen,  and  to  every  lover  of  trees  and 
forests,  to  know  that  the  legislature  of  the  Province 
of  Quebec,  at  its  session  which  ended  in  January,  1S95, 
passed  an  act  establishing  a  great  public  park  and 
forestry  reserve  in  the  centre  of  the  territory  lying 
between  Quebec,  Lake  St.  John,  the  railway  connect- 
ing the  two  and  the  river  Saguenay.  It  comprises 
no  less  than  2531  square  miles,  or  1,619,040  acres. 
The  scheme  is  due  to  the  initiative  of  the  Hon.  E.  J. 
Flvnn,  Commissioner  of  Crown  Lands  of  the  Prov- 
ince  of  Quebec,  and  is  a  practical  illustration,  says  the 
Quebec  Chronicle,  of  that  lionorable  gentleman  s  be- 
lief "  in  the  duty  that  devolves  upon  us  of  passing- 
down  to  posterity,  unimpaired,  at  least  a  portion  of 
the  forest  domain  which  has  come  down  to  us  from 
those  who  preceded  us,  together  with  its  inhabitants, 
whether  of  fur,  fin,  or  feather."  The  waters  in.  this 
new  park  swarm  with  the  largest,  gamest,  and  most 
brilliantly  colored  of  brook  and  lake  trout,  but  none 
of  them  are  stocked  with  ouananiche.  It  ought  to 
be  a  simple  viatter  to  transplant  some  of  the  splen- 


5 


> 
a 


a> 

> 
H 

o 

> 


IN    CAMP    AND   CANOE  149 

did  fish,  either  from  Lake  St.  John  or  from  Maine, 
into  these  preserved  waters,  and  it  is  also  most  desira- 
ble, and  by  no  means  improbable,  that  a  ouananiche 
hatchery  be  established  in  this  Province  at  no  distant 
date.  Our  government,  which  virtually  took  the  in- 
itiative in  the  matter  of  State  fish-culture  upon  this 
continent,  will  not  much  longer,  it  is  to  be  hoped, 
neglect  the  artificial  propagation  of  our  grandest  in- 
land game-fish.  It  is  even  possible  that  if  this  mat- 
ter be  not  soon  taken  up  at  Ottawa,  the  government 
of  the  Province  of  Quebec  ma}''  undertake  it  on  its 
own  account ;  for  while  many  of  the  best  trout  strci'ms 
of  the  province  are  leased  to  clubs  and  others  who 
carefully  protect  them,  there  is  scarcely  any  protec- 
tion whatever  for  the  ouananicbe,  except  in  the  many 
hundreds  of  miles  of  water  which  it  frequents,  much 
of  it  very  difficult  of  access. 

Those  localities  in  "  the  Canadian  environment  of 
the  ouananiche"  which  offer  the  most  enjoyable  ex- 
cursions to  the  angler  and  canoeist  it  is  now  our 
province  to  describe.  The  guides  for  die  journey, 
whether  Indians,  Canadians,  or  half -breeds,  can  be 
best  obtained  at  Eoberval  if  the  intention  be  to  jour- 
ney up  any  of  the  northern  or  westerl}'-  tributaries  of 
Lake  St.  John.  In  starting  by  way  of  the  Grande 
Decharge,  guides  may  be  obtained  after  crossing  the 
lake  by  steamer.  In  the  rapid  waters  of  this  north- 
ern country,  two  guides  are  necessary  for  each  canoe> 
and  together  with  one  "  monsieur,"  his  necessary  bag- 
gage, tent,  blankets,  and  provisions,  make  up  all  the 
load  that  it  is  safe  for  the  canoe  to  carry.  The  guides 
supply  the  canoe,  and  charge  for  the  use  of  it  and  for 


150  IN   CAMP   AND   CANOE 

their  own  services  $2  50  per  day,  or  $1  25  each,  and 
their  board.  If  the  hotel  people  sup])ly  the  provi- 
sions and  outfit,  the  latter  including  tents  for  both 
angler  and  guides,  blankets,  cooking-utensils,  etc.,  the 
angler  is  supposed  to  pay  hotel  rates  for  board  in  the 
woods.  The  guides  do  the  cooking,  and  their  board  is 
charged  at  the  rate  of  $1  per  day  each.  The  angler 
selects  what  he  likes  from  the  hotel  stores,  which 
usually  include  flour,  bread,  butter,  biscuits,  tea,  coffee, 
sugar,  salt,  condensed  milk,  fresh  meat  (if  for  a  short 
trip),  salt  pork,  canned  meats,  vegetables,  soups,  and 
fruits,  pork  and  beans,  cheese,  potatoes,  etc. 

As  almost  all  the  ouananiche  waters  within  a  radius 
of  several  days'  journey  from  Lake  St.  John  are  leased 
to  Mr.  II.  J.  Beemer,  the  proprietor  of  both  the  ho- 
tels at  the  lake,  the  hotel  charges  include  of  course 
the  right  to  fish  them.  The  angler  may  purchase  his 
own  supplies  in  Quebec  or  elsewhere  and  simply  en- 
gage guides  at  Lake  St.  Jjhn,  especially  if  he  has  his 
own  camp  outfit,  tent,  blankets,  cooking-utensils,  etc. ; 
but  it  will  usually  be  found  more  convenient  to  leave 
everything  to  the  hotel  people,  though  the  angler 
should  never  forget  to  check  over  his  supplies  care- 
fully, upon  the  eve  of  his  departure,  lest  some  indis- 
pensable articles,  such  as  salt  or  matches,  be  found 
wanting  in  the  woods,  where  it  is  impossible  to  ob- 
tain them.  The  guides  invariably  carry  a  small  axe 
stuck  into  their  sash  or  belt,  and  are  most  excellent 
woodsmen.  It  is  wonderful  with  what  rapidity  they 
will  cut  tent-poles,  pitch  the  tents,  cut  firewood,  light 
the  camp-fire,  improvise  pot-hooks  and  torch-holders, 
cook  and  serve  the  dinner,  and  cut  and  make  up  the 


IN   CAMP   AND   CANOE  151 

fragrant  bed  of  balsam  boughs.  Some  anglers  prefer 
Canadians  for  guides,  others  Indians.  The  best  of 
either  are  good  enough  for  rae.  But  some  know  one 
river  better  than  another,  and  it  is  advisable  to  con- 
sult either  with  the  hotel  people  or  with  somebody 
who  has  already  made  a  given  trip  before  engag- 
ing guides.  For  the  Grande  Decharge  I  prefer  the 
Canadian  voyageura  to  be  found  there.  But  in  as- 
cending the  Mistassini  or  Peribonca  River  I  like  to 
be  accompanied  by  some  of  the  Montagnais  Indians 
from  Pointe  Bleue  (four  miles  from  Roberval),  who 
have  their  hunting-grounds  in  the  vicinity. 

The  strength  and  endurance  of  these  guides  are 
marvellous.  I  have  known  them  to  carry  from  three 
hundred  to  four  hundred  jiounds  of  baggage  each  over 
the  portages.  Only,  perhaps,  in  their  management  of 
their  canoes  in  heavy  rapids  are  they  more  wonderful 
than  in  their  portaging  of  canoes  and  provisions.  It 
is  an  experience  <.nat  none  should  miss  to  run  some  of 
the  rapids  of  the  Grande  Decharge,  the  Peribonca, 
or  the  Ashuapmouchouan,  The  sensation,  as  the  frail 
craft  glides  with  almost  imperceptible  velocity  down 
a  steep  incline  of  smooth  water,  or  dips  into  the  hol- 
low of  a  great  sea,  is  thrilling  in  the  extreme.  Now 
it  seems  that  the  crest  of  a  huge  wave  is  about  to 
break  over  the  side  of  the  canoe ;  the  next  instant  the 
birch-bark  is  lifted  sideways  out  of  the  hollow.  Then 
again  the  bow  is  apparently  upon  the  point  of  being 
suDmerged,  when  the  canoeman  in  front  cuts  off  the 
head  of  the  breaker  with  his  paddle.  Here,  in  a  very 
dangerous  place  where  two  currents  violently  collide, 
or  in  the  very  vicinity  of  a  whirlpool,  the  guides,  rest- 


152  IN   CAMP   AND   CANOE 

ing  upon  their  paddles,  hold  back  the  canoe  in  the 
middle  of  a  heavy  ra))id,  until  a  propitious  moment 
approaches  for  darting  by  the  temporarily  averted 
danger.  There,  both  men  are  struggling  for  very  life, 
straining  every  muscle  to  wrench  the  canoe  out  of  a 
current  that  would  dash  it  upon  a  rock,  or  forcing  it 
against  the  treacherous,  smooth  rapid  that  would 
carry  it  down  over  yonder  waterfall.  For  a  while  they 
seem  to  be  making  no  headway.  "When  one  lifts  Ms 
paddle  a  little  high  it  is  evident  that  the  canoe  is  Iol- 
ing  ground.  Even  for  the  bravest  it  is  an  exciting 
moment.  No  swimmer  could  struggle  successfullj^' 
against  that  awful  tide.  But  one  false  stroke  and  all 
Avould  be  over.  Experience  and  endurance  triumph  in 
the  end,  and  never  yet,  when  tiie  injunctions  of  guides 
have  been  observed,  has  any  serious  accident  occurred 
to  angler  or  tourist  in  "  the  Canadian  environment  of 
the  ouananiche." 

"Well  indeed  does  Charles  Ilallock  say  *  that  there 
is  an  exhilaration  in  canoe- voyaging  which  pertains  to 
no  other  kind  of  locomotion  enjoyed  by  man.  He 
says: 

"  In  the  calm  of  a  summer's  day,  with  sky  and  clouds  reflected 
in  watery  ^acuity,  whose  depths  seem  illimitable  as  the  sky  itself, 
one  floats  dreamily  in  space  on  bird-wings.  He  dwells  among  en- 
chanted isles  of  air,  with  duplicated  and  inverted  shores.  Trees  of 
living  green  spring  up  from  nothing  below  and  grow  tops  down- 
ward. ...  A  strange  new  life  is  this  we  live  in  our  birch  canoe, 
floating  gently,  drifting  listlessly,  beguiled  by  pleasant  fancies — a 
phantom  existence,  aimless  and  without  purpose !  Oh !  this  is  ecstr  sy 
unalloyed  I    Care  broods  not  here.     But  just  beyond  the  plane  of 

*  TJie  Fishing  Tourist,  p.  106. 


IN    CAMP    AND   CANOE  153 

tliis  calm  repose  va  a  tumult  of  fierce  moods.  Here  is  a  fiekl  for 
aetion  !  Bestir  yourself  and  feel  the  ecstasy  of  latent  nerve-power 
rotised.  Man  was  made  for  noble  efforts  and  deeds  of  high  em- 
prise. Would  he  experience  the  keenest  exhihiration  of  which 
sense  is  capable— would  he  enjoy  the  dangers  he  dares,  and  feel  the 
buoyancy  of  the  bark  on  whicli  he  floats — let  him  take  his  place  in 
the  canoe,  and  with  each  nerve  tautened  to  fullest  tension,  and 
every  faculty  alert  and  active,  run  the  rapids  tliat  form  the  outlet 
of  the  lake  !  Here  are  rocks  projecting,  precipices  overhanging, 
fir-trees  clinging  to  perpendicular  heights,  huge  boulders  piled  in 
midstream,  walls  contracting  into  gorges  and  ravines  ;  and  through 
its  tortuous  channel  the  river  chafes  and  roars,  piling  its  crested 
waves  in  a  turbulence  of  foam,  leaping  cascades,  and  shivering 
itself  in  showers  of  spray.  Upon  the  tide  of  its  impe'.uous  career  a 
frail  canoe  might  shoot  for  an  instant  like  a  meteor  i.i  its  tlight,  and 
then  vanish  forever.  A  bubble  would  break  as  easily.  But  with 
sturdy  arms  to  guide,  and  eyes  keen  and  true  to  foresee  danger,  the 
peril  becomes  a  joy  ;  and  the  little  craft  leaps  and  dances  over  the 
feathery  waves,  until  at  last  the  precipitous  banks  melt  into  grassy 
strands,  and  the  dashing  stream  spreads  into  broad  shallows  that 
laugh  and  ripple  over  pebbly  bottoms." 


part  mt 


*'  LA  GRANDE  D:gCHARGE  "  OF  LAKE  ST.  JOHN 


"LA  GRANDE   D^CIIARGE"  OF  LAKE 
ST.  JOHN  * 


Among  the  more  accessible  of  the  fishing  waters  in 
the  Lake  St.  John  district  of  Canada  there  are  none 
that  offer  snch  varied  attractions  to  the  sportsman,  be 
he  hunter,  angler,  or  canoeist,  as  those  of  the  Grand 
Discharge.  This  tortuous  channel  is  popularly,  though 
incorrectly,  known  to  most  English  speaking  people  as 
"  the  Grand  Discharge,"  a  corruption  of  "  La  Grande 
Decharge,"  which  it  was  called  by  the  early  French 
discoverers  of  the  country. 

Three  miles  farther  to  the  south,  as  you  follow  the 
easterly  shore  of  Lake  St.  John,  is  reached  "  La  Petite 
Decharge  "—the  two  outlets  of  the  great  lake  uniting 
to  form  the  Saguenay  River  at  the  foot  of  Alma  Island, 
some  ten  miles  from  Lake  St.  John.  This  island  is 
shaped  something  like  an  elongated  and  inverted 
delta.  It  resembles  an  isosceles  triangle,  with  its  base 
turned  towards  Lake  St.  John  and  sides  enclosing  its 
most  acute  angle  pointing  down  the  stream.  At  its 
base  it  is  about  three  miles  in  width.  Out  in  the  lake 
itself  and  in  the  mouths  of  both  the  Great  and  Little 

*  Portions  of  this  chapter  and  of  that  upon  the  Pcribonca  are 
taken  from  the  author's  articles  in  Shooting  and  Fishing, 


158        "  r.A   GRANDE   DECHAROE      OF   LAKE   ST.  JOHN 

Discharge,  for  the  distance  of  a  mile  or  more  before 
reaching  the  island  of  Alma,  the  water  is  thickly 
strewn  with  islands  of  various  shapes  and  sizes,  all 
exceedingly  picturesque  in  appearance.  Upon  one 
of  these  is  situated  the  Island  House,  to  which  the 
steamer  Mistossini  crosses  daily  from  Roberval,  the 
terminus  of  the  railway  from  Quebec.  Roberval  is  on 
the  opposite  side  of  the  lake,  some  twenty-five  miles 
distant.  From  the  Island  House,  which  is  the  centre 
of  the  Grand  Discharge  fishing-grounds,  the  descent 
of  the  rapids  commences. 

For  those  who  fish  within  a  radius  of  two  or  three 
miles  of  the  lake,  the  usual  course  is  to  descend  the 
Grand  Discharge,  necessarily  portaging  around  the 
first  chute  or  falls,  and  then  fighting  the  ouananiche 
in  the  many  splendid  pools  below;  those  on  the  south- 
erly shore  of  the  pool  and  next  the  north  side  of  Alma 
Island  being  the  property  of  W.  A.  Griffiths,  Esq.,  of 
Quebec,  and  all  the  others  being  free  to  guests  of  the 
hotel.  Some  of  those  who  have  not  the  time  to  de- 
scend to  these  pools,  but  return  to  Roberval  by  the 
same  day's  steamer  that  brought  them  to  the  Island 
House,  enjoy  good  sport  by  trolling  for  the  fresh- 
water salmon  in  the  channels  between  the  several  isl- 
ands at  the  head  of  the  Discharge. 

I  believe  that  I  can  best  describe  the  descent  of  La 
Grande  Decharge  by  giving  an  account  of  a  trip  that 
I  made  from  Lake  St.  John  to  Chicoutimi  on  the  14th 
and  15th  July,  1893,  a.'.eompanied  by  Mr.  R.  M.  Stock- 
ing,, the  city  passenger  agent  of  the  Quebec  and  Lake 
St.  John  Railway,  and  of  almost  all  the  railway  and 
steamboat  companies  doing  business  in  Canada.    Up 


"la   GRANDE    DECIIAROE"  OF   LAKE   ST.  JOHN        ISQ 

to  the  time  of  our  trip,  the  only  parties  who  had 
ventured  down  the  rapids  to  Chicoutimi  that  season 
had  taken  the  Petite  Decharge.  It  is  far  narrower 
and  freer  from  danger  than  the  other  channel,  the 
canoes  passing  only  through  dead  water  until  the 
foot  of  Alma  Island  is  reached,  portages  being  made 
around  all  the  falls  and  rapids.  There  is  to  be  seen, 
however,  on  the  way,  by  taking  this  route,  the  won- 
derful timber  slide,  booms,  etc.,  constructed  in  the  Lit- 
tle Discharge  by  the  government  of  Canada,  between 
1856  and  1860,  at  a  cost  of  over  $40,000.  The  slide 
itself  is  584:0  feet  in  length,  and  the  total  length  of  all 
the  works  is  about  six  miles.  Through  tiiis  slide  the 
logs  glide  with  amazing  ra})idity.  There  is  a  splendid 
ouananiche  pool  at  Boulanger's,  in  La  Petite  Decharge, 
which  is  known  to  most  of  the  guides. 

As  the  most  magnificent  rapids  between  Lake  St. 
John  and  Chicoutimi  are  encountered  in  the  lower 
half  of  the  Grand  Discharge,  Ave  had  made  up  our 
minds  before  leaving  Iloberval  to  take  this  route,  pro- 
viding we  could  find  guides  ready  to  take  us.  There 
are  guides  enough  and  canoes  enough  always  awaiting 
employment  at  the  Island  House,  and  Mr.  Patterson, 
who  has  them  in  charge,  being  himself  an  old  Hudson 
Bay  Company's  official,  is  well  qualified  to  select  from 
among  them  those  best  adapted  for  a  difficult  journey 
or  most  accustomed  to  a  particular  route.  Though  all 
French  -  Canadian  voyageurs,  like  all  the  Montagnais, 
are  splendid  canoemen,  there  are,  of  course,  degrees 
of  excellence  among  them,  and  some  are  much  more 
acquainted  with  the  difficulties  and  dangers  of  the 
Grand  Discharge  than  others.     I  suggested  at  once 


100        "la   GRANDE   DECIIARGe"  OF    LAKE    ST.  JOHN 

the  name  of  my  old  guide,  John  Morel,  and  was 
pleased  to  learn  that  he  was  well  acquainted  with  the 
rapids  of  the  Discharge.  lie  was  promptly  engaged, 
instructed  to  secure  an  assistant,  and  turned  over  with 
his  canoe  to  friend  Stocking.  Ferdinand  La  Ruche 
was  selected  to  accompany  him,  and  Paul  Savard  and 
his  brother  Louis  were  allotted  to  the  writer.  Then 
came  the  settling  of  the  route  to  be  followed.  Our 
decided  preference  fc  the  Grand  Discharge  having 
been  strongly  expressed,  there  was  a  hasty  conference 
of  the  four  guides,  resulting  in  the  announcement  of 
their  readiness  to  take  us  by  the  desired  route.  The 
water  was  not  yet  very  low,  but  they  had  decided 
that  it  was  low  enough  to  enable  us  to  pass  in  safety 
through  those  rapids  of  the  Grand  Discharge  that 
could  not  be  shot  in  bark  ca.:oes  in  the  spring  of  the 
year,  and  that  there  is  no  possibility  of  portaging,  be- 
cause thev  are  often  between  islands  that  have  to  be 
reached  and  crossed. 

The  bulk  of  our  baggage  had  been  left  at  Eoberval, 
to  be  sent  round  to  Chicoutimi  by  rail,  and  we  carried 
with  us  but  little  outside  of  our  rods  and  fishing-tackle, 
that  little  for  the  most  part  consisting  of  a  few  light 
refreshments.  Had  we  started  on  our  trip  upon  the 
arrival  of  the  boat  at  the  Island  House,  at  11  a.m.,  and 
continued  on  our  way  without  stopping  to  fish  en 
route^  we  could  have  finished  the  rapids  before  night- 
fall, and  have  slept  for  the  night  at  the  end  of  our 
canoe  voyage,  and  in  the  farm  -  house,  thirteen  miles 
from  Chicoutimi,  and  some  twenty-six  from  Lake  St. 
John,  where  buckboards  have  to  be  taken  for  the  final 
portage.     Or  instead  of  retiring  for  the   night  we 


"la  GRANDE  DECHARGE "  OF  LAKE  ST.  JOHN   161 

might  have  continued  our  journey  by  bnckboard,  and 
have  thus  reached  Chicoutiiri  within  ten  or  twelve 
hours  after  leaving  the  Island  House,  in  time  to  ob- 
tain a  few  hor.^-s'  sleep  before  taking  the  steamer  next 
morning  to  descend  the  Saguenay.  Leaving  the  Isl- 
and House  at  the  time  we  did,  somewhere  about  one 
o'clock,  our  original  intention  had  been  to  take  tents 
and  blankets  with  us  in  our  canoe,  and  encamp  for  the 
night  upon  Isie  Maligne,  some  eight  miles  from  the 
lake.  But  we  were  assured  by  Paul  Savaru  that 
there  would  be  no  difficulty  about  our  sleeping  for  the 
night  at  the  club-house  of  the  Saguenay  Fish  and 
Game  Club,  situated  at  the  lower  point  of  Alma  Isl- 
and, of  which  his  brother  George  is  the  guardian. 
"We  were  thus  saved  the  annoyance  of  taking  either 
cooking  utensils  or  a  camping  outfit  with  us,  and  our 
guides  were  very  easily  able  to  carry  everything  over 
the  portages  in  a  single  trip. 

A  pleasant  run  of  about  fifteen  miles  brought  us  to 
the  head  of  the  first  portage,  just  above  the  first  chute 
of  the  Grand  Discharge,  a  roaring  fall  of  some  fifteen 
feet,  stretched  like  a  mill-dam  entirely  across  the 
stream,  here  some  eight  hundred  feet  in  width,  and 
fallowed  by  a  succession  of  very  wild  rapids.  But 
before  arriving  at  the  portage  the  first  adventure  of 
our  trip  occurred.  The  smooth,  rapid  current  adown 
which  we  had  first  floated  gave  way  to  some  sharp, 
short  rapids,  and,  in  order  to  save  time  and  labor. 
Morel  and  his  assistant,  instead  of  following  the  chan- 
nel of  the  Discharge,  attempted  a  short-cut  across  a 
bay  in  which  numerous  rocks  protruded  above  the 

foam  of  the  surrounding  rapids.     Down  and  over  the 
11 


163         "la   GRANDE    DECirAKOli:  "  OF   LAKE    ST.  JOHN 

little  leaping  cascades  in  the  passes  between  the  rocks 
jauntily  shot  the  canoe,  until  she  suddenly  stood  still 
in  the  middle  of  a  slide,  caught  upon  an  unseen  rock 
and  held  there  in  balance  in  the  centre  of  the  rapid. 
Morel  called  to  his  assistant,  instructing  him  ho\v  to 
balance  the  canoe  in  order  to  cause  it  to  slide  sideways 
from  the  rock  upon  which  it  was  stuck  and  leap  the 
remainder  of  the  rapid.  The  instruction  was  given 
rapidly  in  French,  and  Stocking  imagined  that  the 
part  of  it  having  reference  to  a  leap  Avas  addressed  to 
him,  and,  suiting  the  action  to  the  word,  made  a  rapid 
survey  of  the  nearest  route  to  the  shore  and  quietly 
commenced  raising  himself  in  the  canoe  preparatory 
to  taking  a  plunge  into  the  water.  His  motion,  or 
that  of  the  guides,  had  in  the  meantime  freed  the 
canoe,  and  once  again 

"It  floated  on  the  river 
Like  a  yellow  leaf  in  autumn, 
Like  a  yellow  water-lily," 

and  friend  Stocking,  who  says  that  he  fears  no  evil  in 
following  the  directions  of  his  guide,  was  saved  the 
unpleasantness  of  a  serious  wetting  and  the  unneces- 
sary exertion  and  risk  of  a  long  swim  to  the  shore 
through  exceedingly  rapid  Avater.  His  thorough  con- 
fidence in  his  guides  in  all  cases  of  difficulty  and  dan- 
ger that  occurred  during  the  trip  v,'as  fully  justified  by 
the  consummate  ability  and  skill  with  which  they  at 
aU  times  conducted  the  canoe  under  the  most  trying 
of  circumstances. 

The  portage  around  the  first  chute  is  on  the  main- 
land, north  of  the  Discharge,  a  good,  easy  foot-path  cut 


(irk      ^«»>Tr.T.     txt^^tt.^^t:," 


LA    GRANDE    DECIIARGE       OF    LAKE    ST.  JOHN         163 

through  the  woods,  about  three-quarters  of  a  mile  in 
length.  One  guide  belonging  to  each  tourist  picks  up, 
as  usual,  and  carries  the  birch  -  bark  canoe  over  the 
portages  on  his  shoulders,  while  the  other  takes  the 
baggage  and  provisions.  The  canoes  pre  replaced  in 
the  water  at  the  foot  of  the  portage  in  a  calm,  placid 
bay,  but  are  soon  paddled  ir.to  the  wild  rapids  below 
the  chute,  to  hasten  and  facilitate  their  descent  of  the 
stream.  Across  the  current  are  the  splendid  pools  of 
Mr.  Griffiths,  which  afford  such  capital  sport  in  the 
end  of  June  and  first  part  of  July,  and  two  minutes 
later  the  rapids  have  carried  us  down  opposite  Camp 
Scott  and  the  neighboring  scum-covered  pools  that  are 
the  main  resort  of  the  angling  guests  of  the  Island 
House  in  their  expeditions  against  the  ouananiche. 
The  descent  of  the  rapids,  the  crossing  of  some  of 
their  currents,  and  the  skilful  dodging  of  rocks  and 
falls  and  whirlpools  a^.a  waves  that  threaten  to  engulf 
all  within  their  roach,  make  of  this  passage  of  the 
Grande  Decharge  a  trip  that  can  never  be  forgotten. 
T  le  rapidity  of  the  descent,  and  the  irregular  though 
g  .ding  motion  of  the  canoe  as  it  skims  over  the  sur- 
face of  the  broken  rapids,  now  rushing  down  a  steep 
descent,  now  with  its  nose  pointed  skyward,  swept 
speedily  up  an  inclined  plane  of  water  by  the  resistless 
impetuosity  of  the  stream,  is  an  experience  that  quick- 
ens every  pulsation  of  the  heart  and  hastens  the  cours- 
ing of  the  blood  through  the  veins.  The  excitement 
of  a  toboggan  ride  down  a  properly  prepared  slide  is 
mere  child's  play  to  the  thrilling  sensation  of  a  trip 
down  the  rapids  of  the  Grand  Discharge.  But  if  this 
Avas  our  experience  in  the  heaviest  of  the  rapids  im- 


164         "la    GRANDE    DKCHAKGE       OF    LAKE    ST.  JOHN 

mediately  below  la  premiere  cJmte,  how  intense  was 
the  excitement  we  were  later  to  experience  in  the 
boiling  waters  of  the  Yache  Caille  and  of  Gervais  and 
at  the  whirlpool  of  Isle  Maligne !  Rounding  a  couple 
of  points  below  Camp  Scott,  where  many  happy  nights 
were  spent  in  the  seasons  of  1890  and  1891  in  the 
company  of  American  angling  friends — including  that 
cultured  gentleman  nnd  accomplished  fisherman,  Mr. 
C.  R.  Miller,  of  the  New  York  Times ;  Charles  A. 
Bryan,  F.  M.  Underbill,  and  John  B.  Doris,  of  the 
same  city;  A.  D.  Warner,  of  "Wilmington  ;  Major  J.  B. 
Horbach,  of  Washington,  and  Morris  R.  Eddy,  of 
Chicago — the  branch  of  the  current  taken  by  our  ca- 
noemen  turned  abruptly  at  right  angles,  after  striking 
and  rebounding  from  another  island ;  and  then,  after 
an  all  too  brief  run  with  the  velocity  of  a  lightning 
express  down  a  mighty  rushing  torrent,  we  were 
again  dashing  through  the  ups  and  downs  of  heavy 
rapids,  to  find  ourselves,  shortly  after  passing  the 
mouth  of  the  River  de  Oiicot,  in  a  labyrinth  of  chan- 
nels that  Avash  the  shores  of  hundreds  of  islands  of 
various  shapes  and  sizes,  all  extremely  picturesque  in 
appearance  and  most  beautifully  wooded.  The  intri- 
cate windings  of  these  various  divisions  of  the  stream 
were  in  no  way  confusing  to  the  guides,  who  paused 
but  once  or  twice  in  their  passage  amid  them,  then 
for  but  a  moment  at  a  time,  to  take  a  hasty  review  of 
the  various  routes  that  opened  up  before  them,  in 
order  to  select  that  whose  rapids  in  the  present  con- 
dition of  the  current  offered  the  simplest  and  safest 
passage  for  the  descent  of  the  canoes. 

Many  of  these  rapids  were  exceedingly  beautiful, 


"la   OKANDE    DECHARGE       of    lake    ST.  JOHN        165 

■while  not  infrequently  they  struck  Avith  such  violence 
against  a  projecting  point  of  mainland  or  island  that 
only  a  portion  of  their  waters  continued  along  their 
downward  course,  the  remainder  being  hurled  in  a 
heavy  current  up  the  stream,  apparently  in  open  defi- 
ance of  everv  law^  of  nature  governing  a  rush  of  water. 
Tims,  side  by  side,  could  be  seen  contrary  currents  of 
violent  velocity,  the  upward  rush  of  the  one  being  lit- 
tle less  decided  than  the  downward  roar  of  the  other. 
Sometimes  the  water,  that  dashed  with  such  seeming 
yet  determined  unnaturalness  up  over  opposing  as- 
cents, became  widely  separated  from  the  descending 
rapids,  until  it  was  hurled  by  the  momentum  that  first 
started  it  on  its  upward  course  into  some  other  falling 
current,  often  around  the  upper  end  of  a  neighboring 
island.  At  other  times  again  it  rushed  with  an  eddy- 
ing swirl,  that  gave  rise  to  a  treacherous  whirlpool, 
back  into  the  embrace  of  the  parent  rapid,  from  wliich 
it  had  become  temporarily  separated  by  the  same  ap- 
parently eternal  and  external  impetus  that  for  ages 
may  continue  to  play  shuttlecock  with  some  of  its 
constituent  elements.  Some  distance  below  these  ex- 
citing scenes,  and  often  also  after  the  heaviest  chutes 
of  the  Grand  Discharge,  where  the  rapids  cease  from 
troubling  and  the  waters  are  at  rest,  there  is  an  oily 
smoothness  over  the  surface  of  the  reposing  fluid, 
whose  only  motion  is  a  measured  yet  very  percepti- 
ble heaving  of  the  water  as  of  the  breast  of  some 
sleeping  Venus,  whom  the  tourist  may  almost  ^ancy, 
from  the  natural  beauty  and  grace  of  the  surround- 
ings, is  about  to  rise  from  the  pool  beside  him,  as  in 
the  Anadyoraene  of  Apelles. 


166        "la    GRANDE   DECIIAROE  "  OF    LAKE    ST.  JOHN 

Soon  the  compression  of  the  main  channel  of  the 
Discharge,  by  a  nearer  approach  of  the  north  shore  to 
the  ishmd  of  Ahna,  quickened  the  current,  though  for 
a  space  the  rapids  were  light.  On  this  stretch  of  the 
journey,  and  especially  near  tlie  mouth  of  the  Mis. 
took,  some  seven  miles  from  Lake  St.  John,  our  guides 
pointed  out  what  they  described  as  excellent  pools  for 
ouanariche,  and  which  have  certainly  the  advantage 
of  being  but  seldom  visited  by  the  guests  of  the  Island 
House,  ninety-nine  per  cent,  of  whom  rarely  descend 
the  Grand  Discharge  for  more  than  three  or  four  miles. 
But  our  subsequent  experience  at  Isle  Maligne  satis- 
fied us  that  we  had  made  no  mistake  at  Mistook,  or 
higher  up  the  stream,  in  acting  upon  tlie  advice  of 
our  guides  to  keep  for  the  island  all  the  spare  time 
we  had  for  fishing. 

Both  above  and  ijelow  the  island  we  saw  several 
broods  of  young  ducks  swimming  under  the  shadow 
of  the  firs  that  fringe  the  north  shore  of  Alma  Island, 
and  neither  mother  nor  ducklings  exhibited  the  slight- 
est alarm  at  our  near  approach.  Did  they  instinctively 
feel  that  sportsmen  never  carry  guns  in  the  close  sea- 
son, or,  so  seldom  hearing  gunshots  or  seeing  human  in- 
truders in  their  wild  and  primitive  home,  will  they  be 
equally  fearless  of  danger  in  the  month  of  September, 
when  sportsmen  with  guns  and  duck-shot  ought  to 
enjoy  capital  sport  in  any  part  of  the  Discharge  be- 
tween Lake  St.  John  and  Chicoutimi,  as  well  as  along 
the  whole  northern  shore  of  the  great  lake  itself? 

By  ascending  the  Mistook  River,  which  is  not  a  very 
large  stream,  a  canoe  route  with  very  few  portages 
may  be  followed — with  the  aid  of  guides,  of  course — 


"  LA   GRANDE   DECHAltGE  "   OF   LAKE   ST.  JOHN         167 

to  the  easterly  inlet  of  Lake  Tscliotagama,  which  emp- 
ties into  the  Great  Teribonca  Kiver  nearly  fifty  miles 
from  its  mouth  at  Lake  St.  John. 

Around  Cedar  Eapids,  which  are  in  places  a  succes- 
sion of  angry  chutes,  was  our  first  portage  since  that 
almost  immediately  after  leaving  the  Island  House. 
In  a  narrow,  dark,  ugly  current  that  the  canoes  shot 
down  with  frightful  velocity,  immediately  at  the  head 
of  the  first  falls  of  the  rapids,  in  order  to  gain  the 
landing  at  the  portage,  the  frail  craft  in  which  I  was 
sitting,  despite  its  careful  trimming  by  the  guides  be- 
fore entering  the  rapid,  shipped  quite  a  quantity  of 
■water.  Such  trivial  incidents  pass  practically  unno- 
ticed, however,  for  the  time  being,  in  presence  of  the 
herculean  efforts  which  the  guides  are  putting  forth 
to  outwit  the  power  of  the  current  over  the  canoe, 
and,  by  a  due  exercise  of  muscle  and  paddle  and 
tact,  to  bring  it  to  land  at  the  head  of  the  fall,  before 
the  rapids  above,  by  their  velocity  and  strength,  can 
sweep  it  over  the  brink  into  the  abyss  below. 

An  easy  portage  of  about  a  third  of  a  mile  brought 
us  to  the  foot  of  the  Cedar  Rapids,  or  hs  rapldcs  des 
Cedres,  as  they  are  called  by  the  guides ;  and  in  ex- 
ceedingly angry  water  the  canoes  were  again  set  afloat 
and  rushed  down-stream,  the  guides  having  little  but 
steering  to  do  for  a  while,  and  we  luxuriating  in  the 
comfort  and  smoothness  and  velocit}''  of  our  journe^^ 
and  in  the  wild  scenic  beauty  of  our  surroundings. 

Soon,  like  distant  thunder,  gradually  increasing  in 
the  intensity  of  its  roar,  there  reached  our  ears  the 
heavy  rumbling  of  the  dreaded  rapids  of  Isle  Maligne. 
Nearer  still  and  nearer  did  it  come,  until  in  the  not 


108        "la    GliANDE    DKOIIAKGE"  OF   LAKE   ST.  JOHN 

very  great  distanco  could  be  seen  the  columns  of  leaj)- 
ing  spray  thrown  up  ever  and  anon  from  the  crests  of 
the  rapids  on  the  northern  side  of  the  island  that  were 
simply  a  series  of  oft-repeated  falls.  As  we  approached 
closer  to  the  point  of  the  island  that  divides  the  stream 
we  were  in  full  view  of  the  head  of  the  dangerous  ra]> 
ids  that  run  away  down  by  its  southei'ly  shore.  There 
was,  it  is  true,  a  comparatively  narrow  space  of  water, 
to  the  immediate  south  of  the  island's  nearest  point, 
between  the  falls  at  the  head  of  either  rapid.  But  in 
that  narrow  space  was  to  be  encountered  one  of  the 
principal  perils  of  our  trip.  Safety  from  the  dangers 
of  the  rapids  on  either  side  would,  under  other  cir- 
cumstances, have  dictated  a  course  for  the  shore  as 
nearly  as  possible  through  the  middle  of  the  open. 
But  just  there,  we  knew  from  conversation  with  our 
guides,  and  from  a  diagram  that  Mr.  B.  A.  Scott  had 
drawn  for  us  before  we  left  Roberval,  was  the  treach- 
erous whirlpool  known  as  l  remous  de  Vile  MalUjne. 
It  is  the  terror  of  all  the  voya<jeurs  that  descend  the 
Grand  Discharge,  and  one  of  the  chief  reasons  why 
they  prefer  the  passage  of  the  Little  Discharge,  and 
why  in  the  spring  of  the  year  they  never  attempt  any 
other.  Many  are  the  hair -breadth  escapes  that  are 
told  of  those  who  have  v^ent'.red  near  it.  The  island 
must  be  reached  between  the  heads  of  the  two  rapids, 
as  to  enter  either  would  be  speedy  destruction.  To 
cross  too  near  to  the  head  of  one  would  be  to  run  a 
fearful  risk  of  being  swept  into  it  by  the  force  of  the 
stream.  But  in  avoiding  the  Scylla- divided  current 
there  is  danger  of  meeting  doom  in  Chary bd is.  The 
chance  is  often  against  steering  clear  of  both.     Fear- 


"la   GRANDE   DKCIIARGE "  OF    LAKE   8T.  JOHN         169 

fill  as  is  tlieir  dread  of  tlio  whirlpool,  tho  guides  usual- 
ly keep  nearer  to  it  than  to  tho  falls  on  either  side  of 
it,  takinjL?  the  ])recaution,  however,  to  puss  it  wlion  the 
eddy  is  lilling  up,  and  on  no  account  when  the  whirl- 
pool is  deepening.  Anything  drawn  into  the  vortex 
as  it  increases  its  depth  is  necessarily  doomed  to  de- 
struction. There  is  a  possibility  of  a  canoe  that  en- 
ters it,  as  it  is  lilling  up  to  the  level  of  the  surface 
of  tho  surrounding  water,  being  guided  safely  out  of 
it  by  experienced  hands  before  the  whirlpool  again 
commences  to  hollow  out  the  deep  abyss  that  recalls 
tho  myth  of  the  monster  Charybdis  sucking  down  the 
water  of  the  sea.  But  this  all  depends  upon  the  con- 
dition of  the  vortex  when  floating  substances  are 
drawn  into  it.  A  canoe  containing  Mr.  B.  A.  Scott 
and  his  two  guides  was  once,  by  a  miscalculation, 
sucked  into  the  whirlpool  at  an  unfavorable  moment. 
The  eddying  abyss  had  only  partially  filled,  and  into 
its  deep,  yawning  hollow  was  drawn  the  canoe;  while 
the  swirl  of  the  water  upon  bow  and  stern  exerted  a 
wrench  upon  the  apparently  frail  craft  that  threat- 
ened to  tear  it  asunder  amidships  on  both  sides  of  the 
axis  upon  which  it  revolved  with  such  alarming  veloc- 
ity. It  creaked  and  groaned  and  strained  with  the 
opposing  forces  exerted  upon  it,  and  seemed  as  if  its 
sides  must  come  together,  crunched,  as  it  appeared  to 
be,  between  the  cruel,  closing  jaws  of  some  demon  of 
the  deep.  But  it  was,  fortunately,  for  only  a  moment. 
The  eddy  was  already  rapidly  filling,  and  the  fresh 
green  bark  of  the  canoe,  and  the  strength  and  sap 
that  still  lingered  in  the  newness  of  its  stout  frame- 
work and  ribs  of  cedar,  and  in  "  the  larch's  supple 


no        "la   GRANDE   DioCHAUGE"  OF    LAKE   8T.  JOHN 

sinows,"  hud  stood  tlio  severest  striiin  to  which  Cha- 
rylxlis  would  subject  them,  until  the  arrival  of  the 
rapidly  ai)j)roaching  opportunity  for  escape  from  what 
seemed  but  a  moment  ago  to  bo  the  very  jaws  of 
death.  "Had  the  canoe  been  old  and  dry,  she  would 
undoubtedly  have  snapped  asunder  like  a  stick  of  kin- 
dling-wood," said  Mr.  Scott;  and  his  words  rushed  in- 
voluntarily into  the  mind  as  I  found  myself  rapidly 
approacliing  the  same  whirlpool,  and  observed  for  the 
first  time  what  I  ought  to  have  noticed  before  leaving 
Lake  St.  John — that  our  canoe  was  not  only  old  and 
dry,  and  dark  in  color,  but  covered  with  numerous 
patches  as  well.  But  there  was  scarcely  time  for  fear, 
and  none  to  make  any  remark  to  the  guides.  "We 
were  already  alongside  the  vortex,  but  several  feet 
below  it.  The  guides  had  evidently  no  intention  to 
run  the  risk  of  entering  the  eddy  with  such  a  canoe, 
and  so  there  was  a  desperate  struggle  with  the  de- 
scending current  for  several  seconds  before  the  birch 
bark  shot  into  the  still  water  of  the  sheltered  bay, 
whence  an  eas}''  landing  upon  wild  and  rugged  Isle 
Maligne  was  effected.  The  other  canoe  swept  around 
the  north  side  of  the  whirlpool,  and  much  closer  to  it 
than  we  had  ventured,  and  a  minute  later  our  guides 
were  jointing  our  rods,  and  we  were  selecting  flies  for 
our  casts. 

The  fishing  around  Isle  Maligne  is  principally  from 
the  rocks  which  jut  out  from  it  into  the  rapids  on  every 
side.  We  whipped  the  water  for  ouananiche  between 
the  island  and  the  whirlpool,  from  the  rocky  beach 
upon  which  we  had  landed,  my  cast  being  a  Professor 
and  Silver  Doctor,  and  Stocking's  a  Jock  Scott  and 


"la   OUANDK   UECHAIWK"  of   lake   8T.  JOHN        171 

Professor.  All  our  flies  were  tied  on  No.  5  and  C  hooks. 
Small  llsh  rose  greedily  at  them,  and  made  good  re- 
sistance when  [looked.  l>ut  as  our  time  upon  the  island 
was  limited,  and  the  largest  fish  we  had  yet  seen  since 
hinding  was  not  more  than  a  pound  and  a  half  in  weight, 
while  several  weighing  a  pound  and  under  iiad  been 
returned  to  the  water,  twenty  minutes'  experience 
proved  sulHcient  for  us  here,  and  we  followed  our 
guides  on  foot  over  a  succession  of  boulders  that  paved 
a  deep  ravine  near  the  north  shore  of  the  island.  In 
the  spring  freshets  this  gully  is  undoubtedly  the  bed 
of  a  roaring  torrent.  At  a  distance  of  nearly  a  quarter 
of  a  mile  we  arrived  at  a  likely-looking  ])ool  at  tiie  side 
and  near  the  foot  of  the  heaviest  of  the  falls  in  the 
rapids  upon  this  side  of  the  island.  The  grandeur  of 
the  scene  which  here  confronted  us  riveted  our  atten- 
tion, but  we  were  soon  recalled  from  our  admiration 
of  the  rapids  above  us  by  the  summons  of  the  matter- 
of-fact  guides,  who  had  commenced  casting  our  lines  in 
the  pool  below  us,  and  were  already  both  fast  to  fish. 
Paul  Savard,  who  had  taken  mine,  prom;:;tly  handed 
me  the  rod,  when  I  found  to  my  surprise  that  there  was 
a  fish  on  each  hook.  Neither  of  them  was  much  above 
a  pound  in  weight,  but  they  gave  me  about  all  that  I 
could  do  to  keep  rod  and  line  intact,  especially  Avhen, 
tired  of  leaping  alternately  from  the  water,  or  forget- 
ful of  which  was  up  last,  they  sprang  into  the  air 
almost  together  for  two  or  three  times  in  succession. 
But,  as  a  rule,  they  tugged  and  worked  away  so  much 
at  cross-purposes  that  it  was  pretty  clear  they  had 
never  been  hitched  up  together  before.  When  at  last 
they  were  brought  to  the  net,  only  one  was  saved,  and 


173        "la   GRANDE   DECHABGE "  OF    LAKE   ST.  JOHN 

this  is  almost  the  invariable  experience  of  those  who 
attempt  to  keep  two  such  sportive  beauties  upon  the 
string  at  the  same  time.  We  fished  here  from  the 
narro\y  ridges  upon  the  face  of  the  steep  cliffs  below 
for  upwards  of  an  hour ;  and,  after  taking  away  with 
us  some  dozen  fish  from  one  and  a  half  to  three  and 
a  half  pounds  apiece,  to  assist  in  making  supper  and 
next  morning's  breakfast  for  ourselves  and  our  guides, 
we  started  shortly  before  five  o'clock  over  the  mountain 
portage,  a  mile  in  length,  across  the  southwest  corner  of 
the  island.  It  was  a  magnificent  panorama  that  burst 
upon  our  vision  from  the  highest  point  of  the  island, 
whence  commenced  our  abrupt  descent  to  the  south 
shore.  Nearly  six  hundred  feet  below  us  was  the  broad 
expanse  of  rapids,  bounded  on  the  farther  side  uy 
Alma  Island.  We  fished  with  varying  success  along 
the  rocky  shore  and  got  a  few  three-pound  fish,  sub- 
sequently taking  to  our  canoes  and  experiencing  a 
pretty  wild  and  risky-looking  crossing  of  the  rapids 
at  the  foot  of  the  island,  which  was  the  more  surprising 
to  us  that  we  had  anticipated  here  nothing  nearly 
so  exciting.  Were  the  attractions  of  Isle  Maligne, 
both  as  a  camping  and  fishing  ground,  more  widely 
known,  it  would  doubtless  be  annually  thronged  by 
anglers  and  lovers  of  nature,  notwithstanding  the 
difficulties  attending  a  landing  upon  or  departure  from 
its  shores.  After  Alma  it  is  the  largest  island  of  the 
Discharge,  being  some  two  miles  in  length  and  over 
half  a  mile  in  width.  In  one  of  its  pools  we  lost  the 
largest  ouananiche  I  have  ever  seen  at  the  end  of  a 
line.  Savard  had  carried  my  rod  over  a  ridge  of  rocks 
and  made  a  cast  before  handing  it  over  to  me.    I  had 


"la   GRANDE   DECIIARGe"  OF    LAKE    ST.  JOHN         173 

just  come  up  to  him  when  there  was  a  swirl  in  the 
water,  a  whir-r  of  the  reel,  and  two  rapid  leaps  in 
quick  succession,  the  second  of  which  freed  the  fish  of 
the  hook.  The  loss  of  that  splendid  specimen  was  the 
one  mortification  of  the  trip.  It  was,  in  the  opinion 
of  ail  the  guides,  a  fish  of  at  least  eight  or  ten  pounds 
in  weight.  Its  handsome  sides  must  have  been  fully 
six  inches  deep,  and  in  length  it  could  not  have  measured 
much,  if  any,  less  than  thirty  inches.  I  know  not  when 
I  shall  look  upon  his  like  again,  but  I  know,  Avith  Mr. 
Creighton,  that  the  largest  ouananiche  are  carefully 
guarded  from  the  angler  by  the  demon  of  ill-luck. 

Some  distance  below  Isle  Maligne  we  passed  some 
fishy-looking  pools,  covered  with  oily-looking  water 
and  occasional  patches  of  foam,  and  could,  undoubt- 
edly, have  drawn  from  them  some  beautiful  fish.  But 
we  learned  from  our  guides  that  we  were  now  in  the  pre- 
serves of  the  Saguenay  Fish  and  Game  Club,  and  suc- 
cessfully resisted  temptation,  and,  as  we  were  nearing 
the  end  of  our  afternoon's  journey,  rods  were  taken 
down  and  put  up  for  the  night.  The  fishing-grounds 
of  this  club  are  highly  spoken  of,  but  they  must  be 
good  indeed  if  they  can  excel  those  of  Isle  Maligne ;  and 
the  guardian  of  the  club-house,  with  whom  we  camped 
for  the  night,  informed  us  that  the  largest  fish  killed  by 
a  member  of  the  club  that  season  weighed  five  and  a 
quarter  pounds,  which  was,  probably,  not  much  more 
than  half  the  size  of  the  beauty  we  had  hooked  and  lost 
near  Isle  Maligne.  The  club-house,  Avhich  is  reached 
by  a  short  portage  from  the  landing  immediately  above 
the  famous  rapids  of  the  Yache  Caille,  overlooks  the  ex- 
treme southern  point  of  Alma  Island  and  the  reunion 


174        "la    GRANDE   DECHARGE       OF    LAKE    ST.  JOHN 

opposite  to  it  of  the  waters  of  the  Grand  and  Little 
Discharge.  The  smaller  channel  is  on  the  right,  and 
is  comparatively  dead  water,  so  nearly  imperceptible 
is  its  current.  How  striking  is  the  contrast  offered  to 
it  by  the  Grand  Discharge !  Here,  to  the  left,  are  pretty 
nearly  the  heaviest  rapids  of  the  entire  Saguenay  series. 
They  are,  for  the  most  part,  a  succession  of  roaring  and 
foaming  cascades,  whose  white  and  fleec}'^  waves  look 
soft  as  carded  wool,  while  the  mighty  diapason  of  their 
flood  rumbles  with  the  voice  of  never-ending  thunder. 
Long  and  wonderingly  we  sat  and  gazed  that  summer 
night  at  the  ceaseless  rush  of  the  angrv  waters,  and 
followed  with  our  eves  the  descent  of  the  torrent  that 
struck  with  such  violence  upon  the  shore  of  the  main- 
land immediately  facing  the  point  of  the  island  that 
a  portion  of  its  stream  was  dashed  in  an  upward  cur- 
rent of  considerable  width  along  the  opposite  margin 
of  the  Little  Discharge.  There  was  no  other  way  to 
descend  the  river  than  to  enter  and  cross  the  fleecy 
waters  of  the  Yache  Caille  before  reaching  the  treach- 
erous counter-current  just  described.  How  we  won- 
dered, as  we  watched  it,  where  and  how  it  was  to  be 
done!  At  half-past  five  next  morning  we  knew  all 
about  it.  The  canoes  had  scarcelv  shot  out  from  the 
point  in  front  of  the  club-house  when  they  were  worked 
gradually  into  the  heavy  rapids  below.  It  was  an  ex- 
citing time,  for  we  could  read  plainly  the  anxiety 
depicted  upon  the  countenances  and  evidenced  by  the 
alertness  and  exertions  of  the  guides.  Nor  could  we 
help,  even  amid  the  intense  excitement  and  exhilara- 
tion of  our  surroundings,  but  be  lost  in  admiration  for 
the  ability,  tact,  and  coolness  with  which  the  %'oyageurs 


"  LA  GRANDE  DECHARGE  '  OF  LAKE  ST.  JOHN    175 

navigated  those  perilous  waters,  being  apparently  as 
much  at  home  upon  the  surface  of  the  waves  as  the 
nautilus  in  its  shell.  Despite  the  rapidity  of  the  tor- 
rent into  which  we  had  entered,  the  canoes  travelled 
across  it  almost  as  rapidly  as  they  descended.  There 
were  moments  when  it  looked  as  though  nothing  could 
prevent  the  swamping  of  a  canoe  in  a  hollow  imme- 
diately before  it,  over  which  the  crest  of  a  wave  was 
about  to  break.  But  it  seemed  as  if  the  guides  held 
the  little  craft  back,  motionless  in  the  rapids,  till  the 
danger  was  past,  or,  balancing  its  entire  length,  assisted 
it  with  their  paddles  to  lift  itself  sideways  out  of  the 
hollow  of  a  wave,  and  over  with  the  rapid  into  an  en- 
tirely different  current.  It  was  wonderful  how  it  was 
all  done,  but  dv^ne  it  was ;  and  it  was  an  experience, 
too,  that  time  can  never  obliterate  from  the  memory. 
Scarcely  had  we  emerged  from  the  last  of  the  rap- 
ids of  the  Yache  Caille,  and  got  beyond  the  sound  of 
their  roar,  when  a  rumbling  noise  in  the  direction  in 
which  we  were  advancing  warned  us  that  we  were 
nearing  the  Gervais  rapids,  the  last  which  it  if?  possi- 
ble for  the  canoes  to  run.  In  very  high  water  por- 
tions of  them  must  be  portaged.  We  ran  them  all, 
except  where  we  landed  on  the  rocks  and  walked 
from  one  fishing  point  to  another.  But  we  spent 
very  little  time  attempting  to  tackle  the  ouananiche, 
for  they  would  not  be  tackled  by  us.  The  wind  had 
got  around  to  the  east,  and  was  strong  and  cold,  and 
experience  had  long  ago  taught  us  that,  under  such 
circumstances,  angling  in  the  Discharge  was  a  mere 
waste  of  time.  We  took  down  cur  rods,  and  again 
to  the  canoes,  and  in  close  upon  two  miles  of  the  re- 


176        "la    GRANDE    DECHAEGE       OF   LAKE   ST.  JOHN 

mcaining  rapids  had  almost  as  sensational  an  experi- 
ence as  in  anything  we  had  yet  gone  through.  In 
order  to  avoid  the  danger  of  being  dashed  upon  the 
rocks  near  the  shore,  the  guides  took  what  they  call 
^^la  grosse  mer''^ — the  centre  of  the  stream.  There 
were  enormous  waves  out  tliere,  and  it  was  sensation- 
al enough,  in  all  conscience,  to  <"al:e  a  succession  of 
plunges  into  their  hollows,  ana  to  float  again,  each 
time  up  the  opposite  side  of  the  billow,  as  easily  as 
though  the  canoe  were  but  a  chip  upon  the  rapids. 
And  yet  how  readily  a  careless  or  unobservant  stroke 
of  the  paddle,  or  a  moment's  neglect  on  the  part  of  a 
guide,  might  swamp  or  overturn  the  light  craft !  At 
times  the  velocity  of  the  current  was  so  great  that  the 
canoes  swept  down  portions  of  these  rapids  with  ter- 
rific speed,  and  the  trees  and  other  objects  on  the  shore 
flew  past  as  telegraph-poles  appear  to  do  from  the  win- 
dows of  a  railway-train.  After  passing  through  the 
Gervais  rapids  the  river  presented  a  changed  r^ppear- 
ance.  Xo  more  islands  were  to  be  seen,  and  the  shores 
grew  higher  and  steeper,  and  gradually  assumed  the 
characteristic  Saguenay  scenerj^,  as  viewed  from  the 
steamer  below  Chicoutimi.  The  stream  ran  swiftly, 
but  was  clear  of  rapids  during  the  twelve  miles  more 
that  we  descended  in  canoes  to  where  the  scattered 
waters  of  the  River  des  Aulnaies  are  broken  over  the 
face  of  rocks  two  hundred  feet  in  height,  to  mingle 
with  those  of  the  Discharge.  Here  we  are  close  to  the 
frightful  rapids  and  whirlpool  known  as  le  grand 
Q'ernous,  where  a  long  portage  of  six  miles  over  an 
exceedingly  mountainous  country  road  on  the  north 
shore  of  the  river  is  an  absolute  necessity.     We  left 


"la.  GRANDE  DECHARGE   OF  LAKE  ST,  JOHN    177 

our  canoes  at  this  point,  and  drove  the  whole  remain- 
ing distance  of  twelve  miles  to  St.  Anne  de  Saguena}'', 
where  we  crossed  by  ferry  to  Chicoutimi  at  2  p.m. 
We  might  have  portaged  the  canoes  b}'^  buckboard 
for  the  first  six  miles,  and  then  proceeded  in  them  to 
Chicoutimi,  but  that  would  have  added  another  day 
to  the  time  of  the  guides,  taking  into  consideration 
their  descent  to  Chicoutimi  and  the  additional  time 
required  for  the  ascent.  As  it  was,  they  counted  upon 
taking  two  days,  from  ten  o'clock  Saturday  morning, 
when  we  left  them  at  River  des  Aulnaies,  to  portage 
and  paddle  up  against  the  rapids  back  to  the  Island 
House,  the  distance  that,  in  descending  with  us  in 
their  canoes,  they  had  covered  in  little  less  than  half 
a  day,  deducting  the  time  we  had  spent  en  route  in 
fishing.  Now  that  the  railway  is  fully  open  from 
Lake  St.  John  to  Chicoutimi,  the  descent  of  the  Grand 
Discharge  may  be  much  more  cheaply  made  than  in 
the  past ;  for,  once  at  Chicoutimi,  both  guides  and  ca- 
noes can  be  carried  back,  at  a  trifling  cost,  to  Lake  St. 
John  by  the  cars?  in  the  short  space  of  three  or  four 
hours,  and  a  saving  effected  of  the  hire  and  provisions 
for  at  least  a  day  to  a  day  and  a  half  for  a  couple  of 
guides  to  each  member  of  a  party  of  tourists  or  sports- 
men. 


part  Dflfir 


THE   PERIBONCA  AND   TSCHOTAGAMA 


THE  PERIBONCA  AND  TSCHOTAGAMA* 


The  largest  and  wildest  of  the  great  tributaries  of 
Lake  St.  John  is  the  Peribonca,  or  Peribonka  River, 
whose  musical  name  in  the  Montagnais  dialect  signi- 
fies "  the  river  with  the  sandy  mouth,"  an  appellation 
whose  significance  cannot  fail  of  appreciation  by  all 
Avho  have  seen  its  low,  sandy  estuar}'^  of  more  than  two 
miles  in  breadth.  The  error  of  translating  Peribonca 
"  The  Curious  River  "  has  sometimes  been  made. 

The  Peribonca  is  from  three  to  four  hundred  miles 
in  length,  and  drains  an  extent  of  country  almost  equal 
to  the  combined  area  of  England  and  "Wales.  It  is  rich 
in  roaring  cataracts  and  boiling  rapids.  It  is  famous 
for  the  monster  ouananiche  and  trout  that  are  found  in 
its  upper  lakes,  and  for  the  enormous  pike  that  roam 
among  its  deep  waters.  Scarcely  any  but  Indian  hunt- 
ers have  ever  fired  a  shot  at  the  ducks  that  frequent 
its  upper  waters,  or  buried  a  bullet  in  the  body  of  even 
one  of  the  many  big  black  bears  that  browse  the  au- 
tumn berries  about  Lake  Tschotagama. 

The  trip  to  Lake  Tschotagama  is  of  deepest  interest 
to  the  woodsman  and  canoeist,  no  matter  from  what 

*  Parts  of  this  chapter  are  reprinted  from  the  author's  articles 
that  appeared  in  Shooting  and  Fishing  in  August,  1893. 


18  .  THE    I'EKIHONCA    AND   TSCHOTAGAMA 

direction  tiio  lake  is  approached.  The  sliortest  route 
from  Lake  St,  John  is  that  by  way  of  tlio  Peribonca 
Iliver,  and  it  is  also  that  most  prohfic  of  thrilH?)<i;  ad- 
venture, because  of  the  rapid,  precipitous  descent  of  the 
waters  of  this  mighty  stream.  Either  the  ascent  to  or 
tlie  descent  from  Tscliotagama  shoukl  be  by  way  of  the 
Feribonca,  though  there  are  innumerable  other  routes 
from  both  east  and  west,  all  possessing  special  attrac- 
tions for  the  angler.  Of  the  few  white  men  who  pre- 
vious to  1892  had  camped  upon  the  shores  of  Lake 
Tscliotagama,  Mr.  Wm.  Hayes,  Assistant  City  Attorney 
of  London,  England,  and  Mr.  Eugene  McCarthy,  of 
Syracuse,  N.  Y.,  reached  it  in  1890,  b}'-  way  of  the  Mis- 
took Iliver,  from  the  Grand  Discharge,  and  returned 
to  Lake  St.  John  by  the  Peribonca.  Some  have  gone 
there  by  way  of  the  Shipshaw,  and  others  again  by  the 
River  des  Aulnaies.  Messrs.  E.  J.  Myers,  barrister, 
and  A.  W.  Koehler,  of  New  York  City,  ascended  to 
Tschotagama  in  July,  1891,  by  way  of  the  Peribonca, 
which  was  the  route  that  I  selected  in  August,  1892,  on 
the  occasion  upon  which  I  visited  the  lake  in  company 
with  Lieutenant-Colonel  Andrew  Haggard,  D.S.O. — a 
model  sportsman,a  charming  camping  companion, a  dis- 
tinguished raconteur,  and  still  more  distinguished  sol- 
dier, an  ex-governor  of  pestilential  Massowah,  and,  like 
his  younger  but  more  widely  known  brother,  Eider,  a 
successful  and  entertaining  novelist,  as  all  will  gladly 
testify  wdio  have  read  Dodo  and  /,  Ada  Triseott,  or 
Tempest  Torn.  Colonel  Haggard  has  travelled  and 
fished  in  every  quarter  of  the  globe,  but  so  impressed 
"Were  we  both  with  the  magnificent  grandeur  and  some- 
what perilous  adventures  of  the  ascent  of  the  Peribonca 


THE    PERIBONCA    AND   TSCHOTAUAMA  183 

that  we  determined  upon  returning  the  way  we  liad 
come,  more  especially  as  there  were  mighty  rapids  to 
be  run  in  our  canoes  in  descending  the  stream  that  we 
had  for  the  most  part  to  portage  around  on  the  way 
up.  A  very  charming  and  extended  report  of  the  entire 
journey  from  Colonel  Haggard's  pen — or  rather  pencil, 
for  most  of  it  was  written  in  his  scribbling  book,  sitting 
in  his  canoe  en  route — appeared  in  the  May  (189J})  num- 
ber of  BlackwooiVs  Magazine.  His  appreciation  of  the 
character  of  the  Peribonca  River  is  tersely  expressed 
in  the  following  lines  : 

"The  Peribonca,  it  may  be  remarked,  is  a  noble  river  that  is 
known  to  liave  a  course  of  at  least  live  liiindred  miles.  I  may  fur- 
ther add,  after  personal  experience,  that  it  is  an  awful  river,  and 
one  that  no  nervous-brained  or  timid  person  should  venture  to 
ascend  in  a  canoe,  lest,  by  any  involuntary  movement  at  some  crit- 
ical time,  both  he  and  those  with  him  be  hurled  into  eternity  ;  for 
an  untimely  exclamation,  even,  might  result  in  all  being  east  into 
one  of  its  myriad  learful  maelstroms,  eitiier  to  be  madly  dashed 
against  the  iron  rocks  that  everywhere  spring  up  from  helow,  and 
also  fringe  this  dreadful  tide,  or  down  one  of  the  numerous  foaming 
rapids  rushing  relentlessly  through  narrow,  dark-browed  gorges  in 
a  succession  of  waves  that  frequently  almost  equal  in  height  and 
fury  the  terrific  rapids  of  Niagara  itself.  When  Mr.  Chambers  and 
1  were  talking  over  the  events  of  the  day  one  night,  in  our  little 
camp  at  the  head  of  the  ninth  or  tenth  cataract,  around  which  Ave 
had  portaged,  he  made  use  of  an  expression  concerning  the  river 
which  I  think  exactly  describes  it.  'I  call  it,'  he  said,  '  frightfully 
furious';  and  that  throughout  a  great  part  of  its  career,  as  far  as 
we  weut,  it  most  certainly  is.  Yet  there  are  also  many  sweet 
stretches  of  peaceful  and  almost  Thames-like  beauty  upon  its 
bosom — spots  where  it  broadens  out  from  its  usual  width  of  about 
half  a  mile  in  the  main  channel  into  from  a  mile  to  a  mile  and  a  half, 
where  islands,  with  their  graceful  foliage  reflected  on  the  water,  are 
judiciously  thrown  in  by  nature's  fostering  hand,  and  where  the 
forest-clad  banks,  instead  of  being  high,  beetling  cliffs,  are  low  and 


184  TIIK    rERinONLA    AND   TSCIIOTAGAMA 

piuk-like,  shewn  to  the  water's  edge  witli  a  grassy  vcicluro.  It  is 
these  very  cluvnges  in  tlie  nature  of  tiio  river—from  wild  to  peaceful, 
from  culm  to  furious — that  make  the  I'oribonca  such  a  river  that  one 
seldom  sees,  and  one  almost  impos8il)le  aptly  to  describe." 

With  good  guides  the  ascent  of  the  river  to  Tscliota- 
gaiiui  may  be  made  comfortably  in  three  days,  and 
the  descent  therefrom  in  two.  But  two  Indians 
and  a  canoe  to  each  tourist  are  a  necessity.  When 
we  made  the  trip  we  loft  Roberval  at  five  o'clock 
in  the  morning,  and  reached  the  lake,  which  is  nearly 
seventy  miles  distant,  about  two  o'clock  on  the  af- 
ternoon of  the  third  day.  But  we  had  the  best  of 
guides  and  the  most  favorable  weather,  and  made 
the  crossing  of  Lake  St.  John  from  Roberval  to  the 
mouth  of  the  river,  and  the  first  three  miles  of  the 
stream,  on  board  the  little  steamer  Undine,  which  we 
had  chartered  for  the  occasion.  The  mouth  of  the  river, 
though  nearly  two  miles  in  width,  is  extremely  diffi- 
cult of  navigation.  For  some  miles  from  Lake  St. 
John  both  banks  of  the  Peribonca  are  of  sand  and 
loam,  and  comparatively  low.  The  immense  rise  in 
its  waters  in  the  spring  of  the  year  have  washed 
down  very  great  quantities  of  this  sand,  so  that  as  a 
rule  Lhe  waters  of  the  lake,  never  very  deep,  are  here 
unusually  shallow,  and  the  water  brought  down  by 
the  great  river  has  so  much  space  for  diffusion  that 
the  navigable  channel  is  exceedingl}'^  narrow  and 
tortuous.  This  channel  was  ascended  by  the  steamer 
for  two  or  three  miles,  until  close  to  the  mouth  of  the 
Little  Peribonca,  which  is  to  the  left  in  ascending  the 
larger  stream.  Here,  after  adding  a  small  bag  of 
potatoes  to  the  supply  of  bread,  biscuits,  cheese,  tea, 


THE    TKUIUONCA    AND   T8CIIOTA0AMA  185 

coflfeo,  sugjir,  and  pork,  wliicli  liiul  been  ])ackLHl  for  ns 
at  tho  Hotel  Kobcrvul,  tlio  guides,  of  whom  tlio  leadei\» 
were  tlio  full-blooded  Indians  Joseph  Simoon  and  .Jo- 
seph Nepton,  transferred  the  canoes  fi'om  tho  steamer 
on  to  tho  water,  packed  tho  supi)lies,  and  started  to 
paddle  us  up  the  broad  stream.  AVo  wore  in  appar- 
ently placid  water,  but  tho  current  was  so  strong  that, 
despite  the  hard  paddling  of  the  two  men  in  each 
canoe,  we  made  that  day  but  twelve  miles  from  where 
we  had  left  the  steamer.  The  first  part  of  the  jour- 
ney was  devoid  of  interest,  with  the  exception  of  that 
attaching  to  the  magnificence  of  the  river,  which  con- 
tinued to  average  from  one-third  to  two  thirds  of  a 
mile  in  width. 

Most  of  the  best  timber  had  been  cut  away  from  the 
banks,  which  in  places  showed  traces  of  magnetic  iron 
sand  in  fairly  large  quantities.  Sometimes  the  banks 
.vere  seventy-five  feet  or  more  in  height,  and  so  nearly 
vertical  that  narrow  streams  of  sand  rolled  slowly 
down  them  as  if  measuring  time  in  an  hour-glass.  We 
landed  on  the  western  bank,  for  luncheon,  about  noon, 
and  two  or  three  hours'  further  paddling  brought  us 
to  the  first  falls  of  the  Peribonca,  the  roar  of  which 
could  be  distinctly  heard  for  more  than  half  an  hour 
before  we  sighted  them.  One  is  irresistibly  lost  in 
admiration  upon  contemplating  this  magnificent  cata- 
ract. It  is  formed  by  a  long  series  of  successive 
falls,  in  which  the  river  is  crowded  by  immense  boul- 
ders of  granite  and  gneiss  into  an  extremely  narrow 
gorge,  where,  in  the  space  of  about  two  hundred  feet, 
the  foaming  waters,  dashing  continuous  clouds  of 
spray  high  into  the  air,  are  plunged  downw\ard  more 


180  THE   PERIBONCA    AND   TSCHOTAGAMA 

than  half  a  hundred  feet,  sometimes  by  precipitous 
descents  into  a  concave  basin,  whence,  at  its  lower  ex- 
tremity, the  very  velocity  of  their  fall  throws  them 
upward  as  well  as  onward  over  the  uppermost  verge 
of  opposing  rocks ;  sometimes  over  a  rapid  succession 
of  boulders  scattered  in  irregular  but  seemingly  more 
graduated  descent,  until  a  final  plunge  deeply  disposes 
them  upon  an  equally  narrow  bed  of  somewhat  less 
uneven  rock,  where  they  form  a  series  of  angry  rapids 
continuing  for  more  than  a  thousand  feet.  The  por- 
tage is  around  the  westerly  side  of  the  cataract,  over  a 
series  of  boulders  flanked  on  either  side  by  yet  higher 
and  more  massive  rocks.  Nobody  needs  to  be  told 
that  this  deep  pathway,  when  the  Peribonca,  in  spring- 
time, is  twenty  to  thirty  feet  above  its  usual  summer 
level,  is  the  bed  of  another  mighty  cataract.  In  as- 
cending, the  Indians  usually  make  a  portage  of  three 
or  four  hundred  yards  only  ;  they  run  ashore  near  the 
foot  of  the  rapids,  and  take  the  river  again  immedi- 
ately above  the  falls  at  a  few  feet  only  from  the  brink 
of  the  precipice,  where  the  velocity  of  the  current  is 
something  really  alarming  to  the  tourist  who  finds 
himself  afloat  upon  it  for  the  first  time.  It  is  easy  for 
the  last  of  the  guides  that  embark  in  the  frail  craft  to 
hold  it  alongside  the  rocks  until  he,  too,  has  stepped 
aboard.  But  then  commences  a  very  struggle  for  ex- 
istence. The  power  of  the  current  to  force  the  canoe 
along  w^ith  it  over  the  cataract  is  with  difficulty  held 
in  check  at  first,  and  finally  but  narrowly  overcome 
by  the  desperate  efforts  of  the  men  with  the  paddles. 
Vigorousl}'^,  as  for  very  life,  do  they  ply  their  blades 
in  the  water  or  pry  them  against  the  boulders  at  the 


THE   PERIBONCA    AND   TSCIIOTAGAMA  187 

side  of  the  stream,  straining  every  nerve  in  the  strug- 
gle. The  canoe  remains  nearly  motionless  betwixt  two 
mighty,  opposing  forces.  If,  as  sometimes  happens, 
the  downward  sweep  of  the  water  has  the  momen- 
tary advantage,  and  the  canoe,  despite  the  desperate 
efforts  of  the  guides,  appears  to  be  gradually  float- 
ing with  the  current,  a  dexterous  stroke  of  his  paddle, 
by  the  man  in  the  stern,  forces  the  craft  into  the 
shore,  where  it  can  be  securely  moored  by  a  hand  or 
a  paddle  upon  the  projecting  rocks  until  another  and 
more  successful  effort  is  made  to  forge  it  ahead.  On 
the  downward  trip  the  canoe  is  often  portaged  only 
past  the  cataract  itself,  and  made  to  shoot  the  whole 
of  the  rapids  below,  and  the  exhilaration  and  enjoy- 
able nature  of  this  experience  is  one  of  the  most  at- 
tractive features  of  the  entire  trip  to  and  from  Tschot- 
agama. 

The  second  falls,  so  called,  are,  in  comparison  to 
the  first,  but  a  series  of  magnificent  rapids,  very  -wild 
and  beautiful,  but  lacking,  of  course,  the  stern  gran- 
deur of  the  caiaract  described  in  the  preceding  lines. 
The  portage  around  them  is  not  very  long,  and  though 
the  upper  part  of  the  rai)ids  is  too  much  of  a  fall  to 
be  possibly  descended  en  canot,  we  ran  the  lower  por- 
tion on  our  return  trip. 

The  third  and  last  portage  of  our  first  day's  journey 
was  somewhat  longer  than  either  of  the  others.  The 
falls,  which  necessitates  it,  are  called  La  Chute  de  la 
Savane,  and,  like  several  of  the  cataracts  of  the  Peri- 
bonca,  are  divided  by  an  island  into  two  distinct  falls. 
Looking  at  them  from  below,  the  scenery  here  is  of 
the  most  picturesque  description. 


188  THE    PERIBONCA    AND    TSCIIOTAGAMA 

We  fished  in  the  rapids  below  them  and  took  several 
ouUouche  or  chub  on  our  flies,  but  not  a  ouananicho 
could  be  raised  here  at  all,  the  Indians  concluding 
that  the  water  was  too  high  and  thick  at  the  time. 
Ordinarily  they  claim  that  it  is  one  of  ti)e  best  places 
in  the  river ^ww;'  le  saumon.  At  the  upper  end  of  this 
portage  we  camped  for  the  night.  When  we  got 
there,  after  fishing  at  the  foot  of  tht  falls  with  the 
two  guides  who  remained  with  us,  we  found  that  the 
others,  who  had  proceeded  directly  to  our  camping- 
ground,  had  already  pitched  the  tents,  lighted  the 
camp  and  cook  fires,  and  were  bus}^  preparing  tlie 
supper.  The  camp  was  in  a  thick  plantation  of  wild 
raspberries,  and  the  luscious  ripe  fruit  was  in  great- 
er abundance  than  eitlier  of  us  had  ever  seen  before, 
and  afforded  a  most  grateful  and  appetizing  desert. 
Kot  much  wonder  is  it  that,  as  our  guides  assured  us, 
bears  are  exceedingly  plentiful  in  this  neighborhood. 
Happy  bears!  Here  they  increase  and  multiply,  and 
with  their  kind  so  replenish  this  part  of  ihe  earth  as 
to  make  of  their  chase  quite  a  matter  of  importance 
to  the  Indian  hunters.  Tiiey  are  often  found  in  the 
Peribonca  itself,  swimming  across  the  stream ;  and 
there  are  at  least  two  well-established  cases  of  a  bear 
having  been  killed  in  the  rapids  of  this  river  by  hunt- 
ers in  canoes.  Etienne  Simard  killed  one  here  in  1889 
with  a  blow  from  an  axe,  and  in  1801  another  was 
similarly  slain  by  William  Tremblay. 

Early  on  the  second  morning  of  our  trip  we  struck 
cam{),  and  having  walked  on  the  rocks  by  a  couple  of 
rapids,  portaged  around  the  fourth  falls,  or  La  Cliute  a 
Caron,  half  an  hour  later,  climbing  for  about  a  quarter 


c 
r: 

> 


Ivy., 'I,  ••(.'*  \. 


THE    PERIBONCA   AND    TSCHOTAGAMA  189 

of  a  mile  along  a  narrow  ledge  of  rock  by  the  precip- 
itous west  bank  of  the  stream.  The  canoes  were  then 
paddled  through  four  miles  of  comparatively  dead  wa- 
ter— so  called,  at  least,  by  the  guides — though  in  parts 
it  was  marked  by  a  very  swift  current. 

At  some  twenty-seven  miles  from  the  mouth  of  the 
river  the  fifth  falls,  or  Chute  a  Whelly,  are  reached, 
and  here  there  is  a  portage  fully  a  mile  in  length 
through  a  respectable  forest,  with  a  luxuriant  under- 
growth of  ferns,  raspberries,  and  blueberries.  About 
another  mile  up  stream  from  the  head  of  the  portage 
is  the  mouth  of  the  river  Aleck,  and,  near  by,  the  sixth 
falls,  or  Chute  du  Bonhomme.  There  are  very  good 
trout  in  the  river  Aleck,  by  way  of  which  stream  the 
Little  Peribonca  may  be  reached  without  much  por- 
taging. In  the  Aleck  the  guides  often  take  valuable 
fresh- water  pearls,  which  are  found  inside  the  shells  of 
the  river  mussels. 

La  Chute  du  Bonhomme  is  a  very  wide  and  beauti- 
ful waterfall,  divided  into  two  distinct  cataracts  by  a 
large  island  in  the  centre.  Some  short  distance  above 
it  the  men  forced  the  canoes  up  some  pretty  strong 
rapids,  and  even  through  cascades  between  the  rocks — 
in  some  places  nearly  a  foot  or  so  in  perpendicular 
height;  but  it  was  certainly  very  hard  work.  The 
river  is  remarkably  winding  now  for  a  few  miles,  and 
upon  the  sandy  bank,  which  we  hugged  pretty  closely 
in  ascending,  several  bear  and  beaver  tracks  were 
seen.  The  marks  left  by  the  latter  showed  plainly 
the  furrow  worn  by  his  trailing  tail. 

At  thirty  -  three  miles  from  Lake  St.  John  is  the 
Portage  de  I'lle,  where  between  two  more  falls  the 


190  THE   PERI  BONO  A    AND    TSCIIOTAGAMA 

canoes  are  paddled  right  up  to  their  very  foot,  and 
then  lifted  out  of  the  water  and  carried  by  the  guides 
up  the  steep  ascent  to  the  summit  of  the  little  rocky 
islet  which  separates  the  two  branches  of  the  chute, 
replaced  in  the  water  above,  and  paddled  away  up- 
stream, but  not  without  considerable  effort,  from  the 
very  brink  of  the  falls.  It  is  certainly  a  very  risky 
undertaking,  but  there  appears  at  this  point  to  be  no 
other  means  of  surmounting  the  obstacles  to  the  as- 
cent of  the  river. 

We  are  now  approaching  the  wildest  scenery  and 
roughest  portion  of  our  trip.  A  mile  above  the  Por- 
tage de  rtle,  which  is  situated,  as  already  explained, 
between  the  t\vo  divisions  of  the  seventh  falls,  are  the 
Portage  and  Chute  au  Diable.  At  the  Chute  a  Caron 
and  the  Chute  du  Bonhomme  you  are  naturally  led  to 
inquire  the  origin  of  their  names,  and  listen  with  deep- 
est interest  to  the  legend  of  Bonhomme  Guillaume, 
for  whom  the  one  was  named,  and  the  story  of  the 
narrow  escape  at  the  other  of  a  foreman  lumber-driver 
named  Caron,  whose  name  has  been  ever  since  con- 
nected with  the  cataract,  and  in  all  human  proba- 
bility ever  will  be.  But  when  you  learn  the  name  of 
the  Devil's  Falls,  and  take  in  the  view  of  the  surround- 
ings, there  is  no  temptation  to  seek  an  explanation  of 
the  title  it  bears.  It  is  all  too  awfully  plain,  and,  just 
as  in  the  case  of  Cape  Trinity  on  the  Saguenay,  the 
appropriateness  of  the  name  is  unquestionable.  Amid 
such  gloomy  scenes  as  meet  the  view,  as  the  canoes 
approach  the  series  of  terrific  gorges  and  chasms 
adown  which  are  hurled  the  various  channels  of  the 
stream,  we  feel  indeed  that  "the  banners  of  Hell's 


THE    PEKIBONCA    AND    TSCIIOTAOAMA  191 

monarch  do  come  forth  toward  us.''  And  in  recaUing 
the  bkick  shadows  of  the  frowning  chffs  that  fringe  the 
shore,  th3  awe -stricken  visitor  may  say  with  Dante, 
"  I  raised  mine  eyes,  believing  tliat  I  Lucifer  sliould 
see." 

A  magnificent  picture  of  tlie  Chute  au  Diable  was 
painted  some  years  ago  by  Mr.  L.  R.  O'Brien,  late 
president  of  the  Royal  Canadian  Academy  of  Art, 
during  his  trip  up  the  Peribonca  with  Mr.  J.  G.  A. 
Creighton,  of  Ottawa,  and  its  gloomy  mountain  walls 
and  restless  water  are  a  study  for  a  Dore.  Immense 
rocks  of  almost  Titanic  proportions  are  strewn  in  the 
utmost  confusion,  sometimes  in  great  masses  here  and 
there  in  the  bed  of  tlie  stream,  in  summer  dividing  it 
into  various  channels,  and  during  the  spring  floods 
contributing  to  the  wild,  broken  character  of  the  falls; 
and  sometimes,  again,  piled  pell-mell  against  the  oth- 
erwise precipitous  banks  as  if  in  very  deviltry,  form- 
ing, as  they  do,  a  scene  of  chaotic  confusion,  and  of 
such  an  apparent  absence  of  any  vestige  of  law  or 
order.  These  avalanches  of  rock,  together  with  the 
falls  of  the  river,  would  appear  at  first  to  effectually 
bar  the  further  ascent  of  the  stream ;  and  in  the  time 
of  the  spring  floods  the}'^  certainly  do  so  in  the  imme- 
diate vicinity  of  the  Devil's  Falls,  and  the  Portage  au 
Diable  is  then  at  least  two  to  three  miles  in  length, 
and  lies  over  the  mountains  some  distance  back  from  the 
river.  When  the  waters  of  the  Peribonca  reach  their 
ordinary  summer  level,  a  portage  near  the  falls  may  be 
had  through  a  frightfully  rough,  rocky  abyss,  down 
which,  in  tlie  spring  of  the  year,  rushes  one  of  the 
roaring  channels  of  the  Devil's  Falls ;  for  it  must  be 


19:2  THE   PERIBONCA    AND   TSCHOTAOAMA 

borne  in  mind  that  between  the  spring  and  summer 
levels  of  the  river  there  is  a  difference  of  at  least  thirty 
feet.  At  all  seasons  of  the  year  the  Chute  au  Di  ible 
is  a  heavy,  steep,  resistless  cataract,  tliough  never,  of 
course,  seen  to  such  advantage  as  during  the  spring 
floods.  For  a  long  distance  below  the  falls  the  rapids 
are  of  extreme  violence ;  yet  a  portion  of  them,  at 
least,  must  be  ascended  and  another  part  crossed  in 
order  to  gain  the  foot  of  the  summer  portage.  And 
as  the  canoe  nears  the  base  of  the  cliffs  the  surround- 
ings may  reasonably  recall  the  shores  of  Acheron, 
notwithstanding  the  contrast  offered  by  the  immobil- 
ity of  expression  and  contented  countenances  of  your 
Indian  guides  to  the  "demoniac  form"  and  "eyes  of 
burning  coal "  of  the  old  man  Charon — "  hoary  white 
with  eld." 

In  some  of  the  pools  near  the  shore,  at  the  foot  of 
the  easterly  branch  of  the  falls,  the  ouananiche  were 
seen  swimming  in  the  foam  just  as  they  do  in  the 
Grand  Discharge.  We  took  with  flies  as  many  as  we 
required  for  food,  both  in  ascending  the  river  and  on 
our  way  down  again  ;  and  in  some  of  these  pools  one 
of  our  guides,  on  a  hook  baited  with  pork,  at  the  end 
of  a  cord  suspended  from  a  paddle,  dragged  out  of  the 
water  a  couple  of  large  dore,  the  firm  white  flesh  of 
which  served  as  a  change  from  the  rich  salmon-fla- 
vored flakes  of  the  ouananiche. 

Between  the  Chute  au  Diable,  at  the  very  brink  of 
which  we  again  took  to  our  canoes,  and  our  next  por- 
tage at  the  Chute  de  McLeod  or  ninth  i :Jls,four  miles 
distant,  we  had  some  splendid  pike-fishing.  Here  the 
appearance  of  the  banks  of  the  river  was  very  differ- 


THE   PERinONCA    AND   TSCIIOTAOAMA  198 

ent  from  what  we  head  hitherto  experienced.  After 
leaving  the  sand-banks  of  the  lower  Peribonca,  the 
shores  had  been  principally  high  and  rocky  or  formed 
by  pebbly  beaches.  Now  we  had  come  to  grassy, 
sedgy  banks,  near  which  we  did  not  require  to  be  told 
were  the  lairs  of  the  voracious  Esox  lucnis.  How 
fiercely  it  chases  its  affrighted  prey  was  soon  made 
evident  to  us  bv  the  violence  with  which  some  of 
these  water  wolves  darted  at  our  phantom  minnows, 
and  the  good  living  which  they  here  enjoy  is  illus- 
trated by  the  immense  size  to  which  they  grow ;  one 
that  broke  away  from  Colonel  Haggard's  line,  when 
close  to  his  canoe  and  about  to  be  lifted  into  it,  ap- 
pearing to  be  almost  as  long  as  a  paddle.  Both  in  the 
stream  itself  and  in  a  marshy  lagoon  off  its  western 
side  we  killed  a  number  of  these  fish  from  five  to 
twelve  pounds  each,  but  very  much  larger  ones  are 
occasionally  taken  here. 

Our  portage  around  the  Chute  de  McLeod  was  quite 
a  long  one,  and  crossed  a  hill  several  hundred  feet  in 
heigat.  At  its  upper  end  we  camped,  but  in  descend- 
ing from  the  lake  avoided  the  portage  altogether, 
makings  instead,  a  very  short  but  very  dangerous  carry 
round  the  other  side  of  the  fall,  to  where  it  was  possible 
to  lift  down  the  canoe,  set  it  in  the  water,  and  conduct 
it  through  the  terrific  rapids  at  the  very  foot  of  the 
cataract,  though  it  would  have  been  absolutely  impos- 
sible to  have  brought  it  up  against  them. 

Several  wild  ducks  were  seen  by  us  above  this  por- 
tage and  on  our  approach  to  Lake  Tschotagama  next 
morning,  as  well  as  later  in  the  lake  itself.  These, 
with  a  few  kingfishers,  sand-larks,  woodpeckers,  and 

13 


104  THE    PERIBONCA    AND   TSCIIOTAOAMA 

sea-gulls,  were  all  the  birds  of  any  consequence  that  we 
saw  (luring  our  trip. 

Almost  every  description  of  river  scenery  is  obtain- 
able up  the  Peribonca.  A  little  above  the  ninth  falls 
the  shores  are  again  high  and  rock3^  Here  adaman- 
tine walls  of  granitf^  imprison  the  fearful  floods  of 
spring,  which  some  distance  farther  down  the  stream 
undermine  the  lofty  banks  of  sand,  enlarging  thereby 
the  liberty  they  already  enjoy,  as  if  in  compensation 
for  the  restraint  for  a  time  imposed  upon  them.  Large 
land-slides  are  thus  caused  during  the  season  of  high 
water,  often  carrying  lofty  trees  dowL  with  them  into 
the  river,  so  that  wherever  the  banks  of  the  Peri- 
bonca  are  not  either  rocky  or  of  low  land  they  are 
constantly  changing  from  one  year  to  another. 

The  tenth  falls  of  the  river  are  only  seven  miles  be- 
low Lake  Tschotagama,  and  before  they  are  reached 
the  high  mountains  to  the  north  of  the  lake  are  plainly 
seen.  Tschotagama  is  not  an  extension  or  widening 
of  the  Peribonca,  but  a  respectably  -  sized  body  of 
water  hung  on,  as  it  were,  to  the  east  side  of  the  river ; 
or,  rather,  an  independent  lake  nine  miles  long  by  one 
to  three  broad,  lying  almost  due  east  and  west,  and 
emptying  itself  by  a  very  narrow  channel  at  its  west 
end  into  the  Peribonca.  At  its  east  end  it  is  fed  by 
the  river  Blanche,  which  contains  numerous  small 
trout,  and,  by  way  of  it,  Lac  a  I'Ours,  Lake  Brochet, 
and  the  river  Shipshaw,  all  noted  fishing  waters,  can 
easily  be  reached. 

Lake  Tschotagama  is  almost  entirely  enclosed  by 
lofty  mountains,  and  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful 
bodies  of  water  that  it  is  possible  to  imagine.    At  the 


THE   rEKinONCA   AND  T8CIIOTA0AMA  195 

foot  of  the  mountains  near  the  outlet  there  are  sandy 
beaches,  affording  splendid  camping-grounds.  As  we 
advance  towards  the  east  the  mountains  are  higher 
and  rise  abruptly  out  of  the  water,  which  in  places  is 
of  very  great  depth.  To  bo  closed  in  by  the  moun- 
tains surrounding  this  lake  during  a  violent  thunder- 
storm is  indeed  an  experience,  and  the  apparently 
never-ending  reverberations  of  the  thunder  among  the 
hills,  once  heard,  is  never  likely  to  be  forgotten.  Lake 
Tschotagama  is  the  home  of  giant  ouananiche  and  of 
monster  pike  and  trout.  A  forty-nine-pound  pike  was 
here  slain  by  Mr.  "William  Hayes  in  1890.  Mr.  E.  J. 
Myers,  of  New  York,  tells  of  one  that  he  killed  in  1801 
that  measured  fifty-two  inches  in  length  and  weighed 
forty-seven  pounds,  and  of  a  trout,  taken  by  him  here, 
seven  pounds  in  weight.  There  hangs  upon  the  wall 
of  the  Hotel  Eobervail  the  skin  of  a  ouananiche 
twenty-seven  inches  in  length.  It  once  covered  the 
body  of  one  of  a  pair  of  eight-pound  fish  taken  in 
Tschotagama  in  July,  1891,  by  Mr.  My«rs.  Some 
four-pounders  fell  there  to  my  rod  in  August,  1892, 
but  they  were  few  and  far  between,  until  our  guides, 
having  unsuccessfully  urged  us  to  substitute  small 
phantom  minnows  for  our  flies,  cut  open  the  fish  that 
we  had  already  caught,  and  showed  us  that  their 
stomachs  were  full  of  sticklebacks.  That  settled 
the  point,  and  proved  beyond  peradventure  that  small 
fish  and  not  flies  are  the  principal  food  of  the  heavy 
ouananiche  in  this  great  northern  lake. 

Far  away  north,  near  the  source  of  the  Peribonca,  is 
a  very  much  larger  lake,  known  as  Manouan,  and  that 
only  two  or  three  white  men  have  ever  visited.     It  is 


190  THE    PEUIBONCA    AND   TSCIIOTAGAMA 

reported  as  swarming  witli  ouananiclio,  which,  like 
those  in  Tschotagunia,  are  all  of  very  large  size.  It  is 
impossible  to  imagine  small  fish  forcing  their  way  up 
the  Peribonca  against  the  obstacles  that  intervene  be- 
tween Lake  St.  John  and  these  other  far  more  north- 
erly bodies  of  water,  ascending  the  mighty  falls  that 
must  be  encountered  on  the  way,  and  evading  the 
man}/  living  sepulchres  that  yawn  to  receive  them  en 
route,  w  here  are  ranged  the  open  jaws  of  innumerable 
voracious  pike.  If  they  run  up  and  down  the  stream 
at  all,  their  success  in  reaching  their  destination  is  in- 
deed an  illustration  of  the  survival  of  the  fittest.  But 
if  it  be  true,  as  alleged,  that  they  are  taken  in  Tschota- 
gama  all  the  year  round,  then  it  would  seem  that  as 
the  sea  is  to  the  Salmo  salar  and  Lake  St.  John  to  the 
ouananiche  that  are  taken  in  its  vicinity,  so  are  lakes 
Manouan  and  Tschotagama  to  those  of  the  fresh-Avater 
salmon  that  are  found  respectively  in  their  waters  and 
tributaries. 

For  those  who  care  to  seduce  the  well-fed  ouana- 
niche and  monster  trout  of  Tschotagama  with  bait, 
plenty  of  it  may  certainly  be  had  in  the  shallow 
waters  near  the  sandy  beaches;  and  earlier  in  the 
season,  upon  the  pebbly  shores,  ih^peda,  or  stone-fly — 
the  ''May-fly"  of  Scotland, the  "creeper"  of  Ireland, 
and  the  "  crawler"  of  portions  of  England — will  doubt- 
less be  found  in  great  abundance,  as  we  picked  up 
under  the  stones  of  the  beaches  any  number  of  the 
dry  shells  of  the  chrysalis  form.  In  both  the  larva 
and  imago  state,  this  insect  is  one  of  the  most  killing 
of  baits  for  almost  all  of  the  species  of  salmonida?  in 
our  inland  waters. 


THE    I'EUIBONCA   AITD   TSOIIOTAOAMA  107 

There  are  otlier  insects,  too,  in  this  part  of  the  coun- 
try, and  some  of  them  in  great  abundance,  especially 
black  tlies,  sand-llies,  and  mosquitoes.  And  we  had, 
unfortunately,  selected  for  our  ti-ip  the  very  height 
of  the  fly  season.  Haggard  found  them  particularly 
bad,  and  had  brought  no  ointment  with  him,  being  an 
unbeliever  in  its  elJicacy.  Let  him  tell  his  story  in  his 
own  words : 

"It  is  a  wc'Uknown  fact  that  flios  and  mosquitoes  bite  a  good 
deal  up  tlie  Cunadiaii  rivers.  The  magnificent  Peribonni  proved  to 
be  no  exception.  .  .  .  But  Cliambers  bad  come  prepared  for  tliera. 
One  night  in  camp,  when  tliey  were  particularly  bad,  I  saw  liim 
anointing  himself  all  over  with  some  patent  fly  -  repellent.  lie 
shone  like  the  sun  and  smelled  like  a  peppermint-drop  when  the 
operation  was  finished.  I  sat  by  and  sneered  at  him,  saying  that  I 
had  beep  in  India  and  did  not  believe  in  fly -repellents,  etc.  But 
let  those  laugh  who  win.  He  sat  there  shining  and  smiling,  and 
the  flies  flew  around  and  around,  but  never  alighted  on  him  more  ; 
therefore,  being  convinced,  I  turned  myself  into  a  peppermint-drop 
in  turn.  Only  one  mosquito  ventured  to  alight  on  my  hand  ;  he 
walked  all  along  the  back  of  it,  tapping  it  with  his  trunk  to  try  it, 
as  in  India  an  elephant  does  a  bridge  to  see  if  it  is  safe,  and  then  he 
gave  it  up  and  flew  sorrowfully  away,  saying  to  him.self,  'I  have 
been  deceived ;  I  came  to  eat  man,  and  lo  !  it  is  only  pepper- 
mint.'" 

The  coloners  description  of  the  sport  afforded  by 
the  ouananiche  of  Tschotagaraa  will  doubtless  be  read 
with  interest.     He  says : 

"But  the  fish  were  stiff  and  only  came  occasionally,  and  after 
an  hour  or  two's  fishing  I  found  myself  saying,  in  the  words  of  the 
ingenue  of  Pink  Dominoes,  'This  is  not  what  I  came  here  for.' 
But  If  the  fish  were,  as  the  Scots  say,  'dour,' they  were  magnifi- 
cent when  hooked.  Springing  out  of  the  water  repeatedly  to  the 
height  of  five  and  six  feet,  they  glistened  in  the  sun  like  silver,  and 
fell  back  again  into  the  water  like  little  fat  pigs,  such  a  splash  did 


198  THE   PERIBONCA   AND   TSCHOTAGAMA 

they  make.  Once  I  hooked  a  couple  of  between  three  and  four 
pounds  each  at  the  same  time — one  on  a  tiny  Jock  Scott,  tlie  other 
on  my  top  fly.  Never  was  tliere  such  a  sight  and  commotion  on 
any  lake  ;  sometimes  both  were  out  of  the  water  at  once,  sometimes 
the  one  went  down  as  the  other  went  up;  but  fortunately  I  had  not 
paid  my  visits  to  Farlow's  for  nothing.  The  gut-cast  was  new  and 
lield,  until  after  a  minute  or  two  the  top  fish  made  his  final  bow 
and  took  his  departure.  Then  I  had  an  opportunity  of  seeing 
whether  or  not  a  ouananiche  could  run  as  well  as  jump.  A  well- 
known  New  York  angler,  Mr.  Roosevelt,  had  particularly  asked  me 
to  observe  this  point,  as  some  people  say  the  fish  only  jumps.  This 
particular  fellow  no  sooner  felt  that  he  had  got  rid  of  his  companion 
in  misfortune  than  he  set  to  work  with  a  series  of  runs  that  bent 
my  little  trout-rod  nearly  down  t  >  the  water,  and  that  would  have 
been  no  discredit  to  a  fresh-water  grilse  in  any  river.  We  got  him 
at  last,  though — a  shoi*t,  thick  fish  weighing  three  and  three-quarter 
pounds." 

Disciples  of  the  gun  will  find  plenty  of  duck  shoot- 
ing upon  Lake  Tscliotagama  in  the  early  part  of  Sep- 
tember. Those  in  search  of  larger  game  should  never 
ascend  the  Peribonca  without  taking  %  rifle  with 
them,  for  a  bear  may  be  met  with  in  the  stream  at 
any  time ;  and  in  the  months  of  August  and  Septem- 
ber it  is  never  difficult  to  find  them  in  the  brule,  or 
woods  which  have  been  swept  over  by  fire.  There  is 
such  a  brule  a  very  few  miles  abov^e  Tschotagama,  on 
the  left  bank  of  the  river  in  ascending  it,  which  is  a 
favorite  and  fruitful  resort  of  bear -hunters.  Here 
from  the  west  flows  in  the  river  Brule.  By  ascend- 
ing the  stream  some  forty  miles  more,  to  do  which 
quite  a  number  of  further  rapids  and  falls  must  be  en- 
coimtered,  a  portage  across  country  and  through  inter- 
vening lakes  may  be  made  so  as  to  reach  the  Petite 
Peribonca,  and  by  descending  it  a  new  route  may  be 
followed  on  the  return  trip  to  Lake  St.  John, 


THE   PERIBONCA   AND  T8CH0TAGAMA  199 

Near  the  Brule,  too,  comes  in  the  river  Au  Sable, 
having  a  beautiful  cataract,  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet 
in  height,  close  to  its  mouth.  Remarkably  good  trout 
fishing  is  to  be  had  three  miles  above  these  falls. 

The  principal  forest  trees  in  the  country  immedi- 
ately north  of  Lake  St.  John  are  pine,  spruce,  sapin  or 
balsam,  maple,  black  and  white  birch,  poplar,  and 
cedar.  In  the  shadow  of  these  woods  and  by  the 
margin  of  the  river  the  chief  flowers  that  we  no- 
ticed on  our  ascent  of  the  Peribonca  were  the  Ledum 
latifolium,  or  Labrador  tea,  with  its  elegant  umbrel- 
like  clusters  of  tiny  white  flowers  at  the  summits  of 
slender  sprays ;  the  blue  harebell,  found  principally  on 
rocky  cliffs;  the  wood -sorrel,  a  large  blue  flag  that 
loves  a  marshy  soil,  and  whose  seeds  have  sometimes 
been  used  crushed  by  the  Indians  as  a  substitute  for 
coffee ;  the  solidago  or  brilliant  goldenrod,  Michaelmas 
daisies,  and  the  graceful  little  twin  flower  borne  aloft 
on  slender  stems  from  a  bewildering  entanglement  of 
creeping  vinery,  and  that  bears  still  the  name  of  its 
devoted  lover,  Linnaeus.  Of  berries  there  were  a  pro- 
fusion of  raspberries  and  blueberries,  large  and  luscious, 
as  well  as  occasional  bushes  of  wild  currants  and 
gooseberries  of  poor  quality,  besides  pigeon-berries  in 
abundance,  and  the  box  -  leaved  wintergreen  or  bear- 
berry,  with  its  white  and  red  berries  —  ihQ  f raise  d 
Vours  of  the  half-breed  hunters,  which  extends  through 
the  Avhole  of  Labrador  to  Hudson  Bay,  and  which 
has  been  suggested  as  a  substitute  for  holly  in  this 
country  for  Christmas  decorations.*     Numerous  va- 

*  Mrs.  Traill,  in  Plant-Life  in  Canada. 


200  THE   PEKIBONCA   AND   TSCHOTAGAMA 

rieties  of  ferns  flourish  in  the  forest  shades,  and  the 
ground  is  often  carpeted  with  lichens,  reindeer,  stags- 
horn,  and  other  mosses. 

As  most  men  treasure  up  the  memories  of  their 
angling  trips  among  their  most  cherished  possessions, 
so  do  I  prize  the  following  lines  scrawled  on  a  boulder 
table  at  the  door  of  our  island  camp  below  the  Devil's 
Falls  by  Colonel  Haggard,  and  dedicated  to  his  an- 
gling companion,  on  our  way  home  from  Tschotagama : 

SO'TOG-A-MORE  *— A  REMINISCENCE 

"  Our  camp  looks  o'er  the  silent  lake,  the  ripple  scarce  is  heard, 
The  summer  night  we  hardly  break  by  laugh  or  careless  word  ; 
The  planet  Mars  with  lurid  light  shines  o'er  the  distant  shore, 
And  all  is  peace  this  lovely  night  on  Lake  Sotogamore. 

"  And   now,  as  'twere  the  moon's  own  ray,  the  planet's  sheen 
is  shed, 
It  glitters  in  the  wavelet's  spray,  it  turns  the  waters  red  ; 
The  mountain-peaks,  in  close  relief,  by  starlight  lamps  are  shown, 
In  such  a  scene  the  keenest  grief  a  chastened  joy  must  own. 

"  Ah  !  Chambers,  friend,  if  God  should  give  that  we  again  should 

meet, 
In  mighty  cities  where  men  live  in  noisy,  crowded  street. 
Should  hearts  be  dulled  or  sad  with  pain,  just  turn  in  thought 

once  more, 
Remember  we've  not  lived  in  vain — we've  seen  Sotogamore. 

"  Remember,  too,  the  sandy  camp  beneath  the  Devil's  Falls, 
The  stars  again  have  set  their  lamp,  the  roaring  cascade  bawls  ; 
Peribonca's  fearful  tide  we  twain  have  struggled  through, 
Terrific  rapids,  side  by  side,  have  shot  in  bark  canoe. 

*  Spelled  phonetically,  for  the  more  intelligent  rendering  of  the 
lines. 


THE   PERIBONCA   AND   TSCHOTAGAMA  201 

"  The  sunset  glow,  as  Leaven  sweet,  fair  night  hath  fled  before, 
The  torrent  dashing  at  our  feet  conies  from  Sotogamore. 
The  beaver  and  the  bear  alone  our  little  islet  ken, 
It  is  a  kingdom  all  our  own,  far  from  all  haunts  of  men. 

"  That  isle,  an  emblem  of  our  life  ;  we  pause,  the  rocks  among, 
No  sooner  past  one  danger  rife,  another  crag  has  sprung 
To  menace  us  from  horrid  foam  amid  the  torrent's  roar. 
As  when  we  southward  made  for  home  from  far  Sotogamore." 


part  llf 


LAKE  MISTASSINI 


LAKE   MISTASSINI 


This  great  inland  sea  is  situated  some  three  hun- 
dred railes  by  canoe  and  portage  routes  to  the  north- 
east of  Lake  St.  John.  Nothing  can  be  more  advent- 
urous for  those  desiring  a  five  to  six  weeks'  trip  in 
this  wild  northern  country  than  a  visit  to  the  great 
lake,  and  the  journey  can  be  considerably  extended 
by  returning  by  James's  Bay,  or  by  ascending  to  Mis- 
tassini  by  some  other  route  than  that  usually  followed 
via  the  Ashuapmouchouan  River.  It  may  be  reached 
by  way  of  either  the  Mistassini  or  Peribonca  River. 
A  very  elaborate  trip  may  be  made  b}'  ascending  the 
Betsiamitz  River  from  the  north  shore  of  the  Lower 
St.  Lawrence  to  Lake  Pipmuakin,  a  distance  of  one 
hundred  and  thirty -five  miles,  and  thence  reaching 
Lake  Mistassini  by  utilizing  a  number  of  water 
stretches  of  the  Peribonca  system.  Or  the  latter  part 
of  this  journey  may  be  curtailed  by  omitting  that 
portion  of  it  between  the  valley  of  the  Peribonca  and 
Lake  Mistassini  and  descending  the  Shipshaw  River 
to  the  Saguenay,  or  the  Peribonca  to  Lake  St.  John. 
Mr.  Low  reached  Mistassini  by  way  of  Betsiamitz 
and  Lake  Pipmuakin  in  1884,  and  made  an  interest- 
ing report  of  his  exploration  to  tlie  Geological  Sur- 


206  LAKE  UnSTASSINI 

vey  of  Canada,  in  whose  proceedings  it  is  pub- 
lished. The  lower  part  of  the  Betsiaraitz  Tliver  is 
from  half  a  mile  to  a  mile  across,  and  both  its  waters 
and  those  of  Lake  Pipmuakin  are  well  stocked  witii 
fish,  the  principal  kinds  being  lake  and  river  trout, 
whitefish,  pike,  and  carp,  and,  below  the  first  fall  of 
the  river,  salmon  and  sea  trout.  There  is  one  very 
long  and  bad  portage  on  the  way  up  to  the  lake,  where 
everything  has  to  be  carried  over  a  mountain  a  thou- 
sand feet  high.  Lake  Pipmuakin  is  very  irregular  in 
shape,  being  full  of  deep  bays,  and  has  an  area  of 
over  one  hundred  square  miles.  There  are  two 
known  routes  from  it  to  the  waters  of  the  Peri- 
bonca:  the  one  to  the  north  via  the  farther  ascent 
of  the  Betsiamitz,  leading  direct  to  Lake  Manouan 
at  the  head  of  the  principal  branch  of  the  Peri- 
bonca,  by  way  of  Lake  Manouanis ;  the  other  is  by 
the  Pipmuakin  River,  a  feeder  of  the  lake,  which  is 
ascended  for  twelve  miles,  and  is  then  distant  but  five 
miles  from  a  small  lake  called  Otashoao,  which  dis- 
charges  b}''  a  little  river  two  miles  long  into  the 
Manouan  branch  of  the  Peribonca.  Thence  the  as- 
cent is  made  to  Lake  Manouan,  noted  for  its  irregular 
shape  and  the  superior  quality  of  its  ouananiche  and 
other  fish.  From  the  lake  there  is  a  portage  and 
canoe  route  to  the  main  branch  of  the  Peribonca, 
half  a  mile  below  Lake  Onistagan.  Here  the  riv^er  is 
two  to  three  hundred  yards  in  width,  and  must  be 
ascended  through  Onistagan  and  for  some  miles  far- 
ther, until  a  western  tributary  is  reached,  the  ascent  of 
which  shortens  the  portage  and  canoe  route  through  a 
number  of  small  lakes  and  intervening  country,  lead- 


LAKE   MI8TAS8INI  207 

ing  to  Lake  Temiscamie,  whose  outlet  flows  into  Lake 
Mistassinis,  or  Little  Mistassini,  which  in  its  turn  emp- 
ties its  surplus  waters  into  Great  Lake  Mistassini,  over 
a  waterfall  twenty  feet  high. 

The  shortest  route  to  Lake  Mistassini,  as  already 
indicated,  is  that  by  way  of  the  Ashuapmouchouan. 
This  was  followed  in  the  summer  of  1S94  by  Mr. 
Archibald  Stnart,  w'ho  reached  the  lake  in  little  less 
than  three  weeks  from  Lake  St.  John,  accompanied 
by  four  Indian  guides.  He  left  the  Ashuapmou- 
chouan proper  at  the  mouth  of  the  Chigobiche,  which 
was  ascended  as  far  as  Lake  Chigobiche,  a  fine  body 
of  water  thirty  miles  long.  In  the  riv^er  there  is  ex- 
ceedingly  fine  trout  fishing.  The  lake  of  the  same 
name  is  very  picturesque,  and  on  one  of  its  islands  is 
an  old  Indian  cemetery,  marked  by  many  mounds. 
The  guides  never  camp  upon  this  island,  for  fear  of 
disturbing  the  spirits  of  the  dead.  A  sliort  portage 
from  Lake  Chigobiche  leads  to  the  Riviere  de  la  Cote 
Croche,  which  empties  into  Lake  Ashuapmouchouan, 
the  headwaters  of  the  river  of  that  name.  Another 
portage  leads  to  the  Nicaubau  River,  the  heavy  rapids 
of  which  have  to  be  ascended  in  order  to  reach  first 
Little  and  then  Great  Lake  Nicaubau.  Various  small 
portages  and  short  canoe  routes,  known  only  to  the 
Indians,  lead  to  the  height  of  land,  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  which  beaver  are  so  exceedingly  plentiful  that 
the  progress  of  the  canoe  is  constantly  interrupted  by 
their  villages  and  dams.  In  tne  swamps  on  either 
side  of  the  height  of  land  are  any  number  of  par- 
tridges, while  ducks  are  plentiful  on  all  the  lakes. 
Lake  Obatagooman  is  reached  soon  after  passing  the 


208  LAKE    MISTA88INI 

heiglit  of  land,  cand  other  large  lakes  intervene  be- 
tween it  and  Mistassini.  Bears  abound  in  all  the  sur- 
rounding country.  Whitefish  are  plentiful  in  nearly 
all  the  waters  beyond  the  height  of  land,  trout  are 
found  in  most  of  the  smaller  streams  e?i  ronte,  and  pike 
and  doro,  or  pickerel,  abound  everywhere.  The  de- 
scent from  Mistassini  to  Lake  St.  John  can  be  made 
in  about  a  week,  over  fifty  miles  of  rapids  being  fre- 
quently run  in  a  single  day.  It  is  generally  made  by 
a  different  route  to  the  ascent,  the  simplest  being  that 
by  the  Chef  (or  chief)  branch  of  the  Ashuapmouchouan, 
Avhich  is  reached  on  the  second  day  after  leaving  Lake 
Mistassini. 

An  entirely  different  and  much  longer  return  trip 
can  be  had  by  descending  the  Rupert  Eiver — the  out- 
let of  Lake  Mistassini — to  James's  Bay,  which  will  oc- 
cupy about  two  weeks.  Another  week  will  enable  the 
tourist  to  cross  the  bottom  of  the  bay  to  Moose  Fac- 
tory, whence  he  can  ascend  the  Moose  River  in  a  fort- 
night to  Dog  Lake  at  the  height  of  land,  and  thence 
return  to  civilization  by  the  Canadian  Pacific  Rail- 
way. This  trip  was  done  by  Professor  Galbraith,  of 
the  Toronto  School  of  Science,  in  1882  or  1883,  and  by 
Mr,  Low  in  1885.  It  was  by  way  of  the  Ashuapmou- 
chouan that  the  Jesuit  Father  Albanel  reached  Mis- 
tassini on  his  way  to  James's  Bay  in  1672.  He  briefly 
described  his  journey  in  the  Relations  des  Jesuites, 
vol.  iii.  It  took  him  two  years,  for  he  was  detained 
by  the  Indians,  who  stripped  him  of  his  clothing.  The 
next  explorer  to  reach  Mistassini  was  the  French 
botanist  Michaux,  who  in  1792  ascended  the  Mistas- 
sini River  from  Lake  St.  John.    Mr.  James  Richard- 


LAKE   MISTA88INI  209 

son,  of  the  Geological  Survey,  reached  the  groat  lake 
in  1870  by  way  of  the  Ashuapmoiichouan,  and  in  tiie 
following  year  Mr.  Walter  McOuat,  of  the  same  de- 
partment, ascended  to  INIistassini  by  way  of  the  Mis- 
tassini  Kiver.  Nothing  further  was  done  until  the 
date  of  the  Low-Bignell  expedition  of  1884,  wiien  Mr. 
Low  surveyed  the  lake,  reporting  it  to  be  a  hundred 
miles  or  thereabouts  in  length,  with  an  average  width 
of  twelve  miles.  In  one  ])lace  a  sounding  gave  a 
depth  of  three  hundred  and  seventy-four  feet. 

Like  all  the  neighboring  large  lakes,  the  waters  of 
Mistassini  are  full  of  lish.  The  principal  varieties  are 
lake  trout,  river  trout,  whitefish,  pike,  pickerel,  and 
sucker,  all  of  large  size  and  fine  quality.  Excellent 
sport  can  therefore  be  had  there  with  either  spoon 
or  minnow. 

The  Hudson  Bay  Company  has  a  small  station  or 
"fort"  upon  the  edge  of  the  lake,  the  su])i)lies  for 
which,  with  the  exception  of  lish.  vrhich  forms  a  large 
part  of  the  diet  of  the  inhabitr.nts,  are  brought  from 
James's  Bay.  There  are  sorne  twenty-five  families  of 
Indians — about  one  hundred  and  twenty  people  in  all 
— livino;  around  the  lake  and  trading  with  the  Hudson 
Bay  Company.  They  live  by  hunting,  and  in  seasons 
when  game  is  scarce  cases  of  death  by  starvation  are 
by  no  means  uncommon.  They  profess  Christianity, 
but  mingle  with  it  many  of  their  old  beliefs,  and  still 
have  their  sorcerers,  who  profess  to  be  able  by  su})er- 
natural  means  to  do  much  of  what  is  professed  by 
modern  spiritualists.  A  Church  of  England  mission- 
ary from  the  diocese  of  Moosonee,  at  Hudson  Bay, 

visits  them   once   in   two   or    three   years,  and  per- 
il 


210  LAKE   MI8TA88INI 

forms  the  ceremonies  of  marringo  and  christening  as 
required. 

The  name  "  Mistassini "  means  "  big  rock,"  and 
comes  from  mistake,  which  means  "great"  when 
joined  to  a  name,  and  "  much  "  when  joined  to  a  verb, 
and  asdni,  "a  rock."  It  was  applied,  according  to 
some  authorities,  because  of  the  immense  boulders 
strewn  about  the  west  shore  of  tlie  lake,  and  accord- 
ing to  others  on  account  of  a  rocky  eminence  in  the 
lake,  concerning  which  they  indulge  the  suj)erstition 
that  it  is  unsafe  to  look  at  it  while  crossing  the 
water,  since  to  do  so  is  certain  to  agitato  the  surface 
of  the  lake  and  raise  a  dangerous  storm. 


pact  I 


UP  THE  ASIIUAPMOUCIIOUAN 


UP  THE  ASHUAPMOUCHOUAN 


The  Ashuapmouchouan  is  one  of  the  three  largest 
tributaries  of  Lake  St.  John,  being  nearly  three  hun- 
dred miles  long.  It  flows  into  the  lake  from  the 
northwest,  while  the  Saguenay  carries  off  its  surplus 
waters  towards  the  southeast.  Consequently  the 
Ashuapmouchouan  was  formerly  considered  as  the 
neadwaters  of  the  Saguenay,  and  my  friend  Mr.  Er- 
nest Gagnon  tells  me  that  when  he  went  to  school 
he  was  taught  that  Lake  St.  John  was  crossed  by  the 
river  Saguenay.  It  was  Bouchette,  Surveyor-General 
of  Canada,  who  first  applied  the  name  Ashuapmou- 
chouan to  the  river,  which  name  had  previously  been 
given  by  the  Indians  to  a  lake  in  w^hich  one  of  its 
branches  takes  its  rise.  Ashuapmouchouan  means 
"  where  the  moose  feed."  It  has  long  been  considered 
the  principal  highroad  from  Lake  St.  John  to  Great 
Lake  Mistassini,  though  the  latter  may  be  reached 
either  by  way  of  the  Mistassini  Eiver,  the  Peribonca, 
or  the  Betsiamitz,  as  already  described.  The  Ashuap- 
mouchouan is  a  magnificent  stream,  traversing  a  most 
interesting  territory,  and  containing  a  number  of  lofty 
waterfalls  and  several  long  stretches  of  exceedingly 
heavy  rapids.     Tiiese  rapids  are  difficult  to  navigate, 


214  UP    THE   ASHUAPMOUCHOUAN 

and  afford  any  amount  of  excitement  to  the  ardent 
and  venturesome  canoeist.  There  are  some  good  fish- 
ing-places in  the  river,  notably  at  the  Salmon  River 
Falls,  a  very  pretty  chute,  extending  quite  across  the 
river,  in  the  parish  of  St.  Felicien,  a  few  hours'  drive 
only  from  Roberval.  Here,  in  the  latter  part  of  the 
summer  season,  the  ouananiche  may  often  be  found 
at  the  foot  of  the  falls,  apparently  resting  to  recover 
their  strength  before  attempting  to  surmount  the  ob- 
stacles that  stand  in  the  way  of  their  ascent  to  their 
spawning -beds.  I  have  seen  them  here  when  they 
refused  all  kinds  of  flies,  but  took  the  phantom  min- 
now greedily.  It  is  more  often,  perhaps,  to  reach  Lac 
a  Jim  and  other  favorite  fishing  waters  that  anglers 
ascend  this  difficult  stream  than  to  fish  its  own  pools. 
A  couple  of  days'  time  in  ascending  this  river  may  be 
saved,  and  four  portages  avoided,  by  driving  not  only 
to  St.  Felicien  but  as  far  as  the  head  of  Portage  a 
I'Ours,  where  there  is  a  bad  "  carry  "  for  a  mile  and  a 
half.  The  portage  is  well  named,  for,  like  all  of  them 
in  this  part  of  the  country,  bears'  tracks  are  plentiful 
there;  and  Mr.  Archibald  Stuart,  on  his  way  up  this 
river  to  Lake  Mistassini  in  July,  1894,  met  two  Cana- 
dian hunters  a  little  higher  up  the  stream,  returning 
to  Lake  St.  John  Avith  the  skins  of  thirteen  bears 
which  they  had  killed.  The  first  heavy  rapids  of  the 
Ashuapraouchouan  above  the  Portage  a  I'Ours  must 
be  poled  up.  There  is  no  way  to  portage  around 
them,  and  the  current  is  too  heavy  to  permit  of  pad- 
dling up.  Where  the  rapids  are  deep,  the  guides 
stand  up  at  either  end  of  the  canoe,  and  with  long 
poles,  sometimes  ten  and  fifteen  feet,  and  even  more, 


c 


r 

I— t 
o 

B 

M 
O 


UP   THE   ASnUAPMOUCIIOUAN  215 

in  length,  force  the  frail  craft  tediously  and  foot  by- 
foot  up  the  stream.  Often  does  the  current  appear  too 
heavy  for  the  canoemen  to  stem,  and  the  birch-bark 
can  only  be  held  for  a  while  stationary,  or  may  even, 
at  times,  be  driven  backward.  The  picture  illustra- 
tive of  these  diiflculties  is  from  a  photograph  by  Mr. 
Archibald  Stuart.  AVhen  one  recalls  how  little  un- 
toward motion  is  required  to  overturn  one  of  these 
canoes,  the  peril  and  excitement  of  a  trip  of  this  kind, 
with  two  men  standing  up  in  the  birch-bark  in  the 
midst  of  heavy  rapids,  may  readily  be  imagined.  In 
order,  again,  to  avoid  the  most  treacherous  portions 
of  some  of  these  rapids,  it  is  at  times  necessary  to 
ascend  them  where  they  are  so  shallow  that  the 
canoemen,  and  perhaps  the  angler  as  well,  must 
step  out  and  push  the  canoe  up-stream.  After  a  se- 
ries of  such  rapids  and  two  more  portages  the  canoe 
glides  easily  over  la  (jrande  eau  morte — a  long  stretch 
of  dead  water  forming  a  lake  from  half  a  mile  to  a 
mile  wnde.  On  the  right  bank  of  the  river,  at  the  head 
of  this  lake,  is  the  portage  to  Lac  a  Jim.  This  portage 
is  usually  reached  on  the  third  day  after  leaving  Lake 
St.  John.  For  twenty  miles  oove  are  a  long  series 
of  rapids  known  as  the  Pemonka  Eapids,  exceedingly 
heavy,  and  running  at  the  rate  of  fifteen  miles  an 
hour.  In  some  places  the  guides  have  so  much  dilH- 
culty  in  finding  the  bottom  with  their  poles  that  they 
call  them  the  pas  de  fonds,  or  bottomless  rapids.  Near 
their  head  the  Rivilre  ci  la  Loutre,  or  Otter  Eiver, 
falls  into  the  stream  on  its  right  side.  By  ascending 
this  tributary  for  a  mile  and  a  half  a  fall  of  thirty 
feet  is  reached,  at  the  foot  of  which  very  good  trout- 


216  UP   THE    ASHUAPMOUCIIOUAN 

fisliing   may  be  had,  though  the  fish  are  not  very 
large. 

Up  the  perpendicular  cliff  at  the  side  of  the  Pemonka 
Rapids,  the  Indians  declare  that  one  of  their  sorcerers, 
some  few  years  ago,  walked  to  the  top  like  a  ^y, 
brino-injr  down  with  him  a  number  of  bird's-nests  and 
their  eggs;  and  they  add,  with  a  shake  of  the  head, 
that  "  it  was  not  with  the  aid  of  the  good  God,  but 
rather  with  the  assistance  of  the  devil,"  that  he  did  it. 
Amphibious  human  beings,  called  by  the  Indians  "  riv- 
er-men," are  believed  by  them  to  have  formerly  occu- 
pied parts  of  Canada,  and  Father  Charlevoix,  in  his 
works,  tells  some  curious  stories  concerning  them  that 
were  repeated  by  the  Indians  to  the  first  discoverers 
of  the  country.  To  my  friend  Mr.  Archil)ald  Stuart 
his  guides  pointed  out  the  exact  spot  in  the  Pemonka 
Rapids  where,  as  they  allege,  the  last  survivor  of  this 
now  extinct  race  was  ruthlessl}^  slaughtered  by  a  Mis- 
tassini  Indian,  who,  accompanied  by  his  wife  and 
family,  was  descending  them  on  his  way  to  the  St. 
Lawrence  to  hunt  porpoises.  It  was  about  fifty  years 
ago,  and  the  guides  pretend  to  have  known  some  old 
Indians  who  saw  the  Mistassini  hunter  when  he 
reached  Lake  St.  John.  To  them  he  boasted  that  he 
had  killed  the  river-man,  "  I  shot  him  in  the  back 
with  a  slug  from  my  rifle,"  he  said,  "  while  he  Avas 
swimming  down  the  rapids,  and  he  turned  a  number 
of  somersaults  and  disappeared."  The  Indians  Avere 
horror-stricken,  and  told  him  that  he  had  committed 
a  dreadful  deed,  and  that  something  awful  was  sure  to 
happen  him.  "  I  don't  care,"  was  the  answer  of  this 
bold,  bad  man ;  "  I  would  do  it  again.     I  would  kill 


UP   THE    ASHUArMOUCHOUAN  217 

the  devil  if  I  was  to  meet  him."  But  tradition  says 
that  the  Indians  warned  him  truly,  and  that  in  de- 
scending tlie  heavy  rapids  of  the  discharge  of  Lake  St. 
John  his  canoe  was  overturned,  both  he  and  his  family 
were  drowned,  and  the  murder  of  the  "river -man" 
was  avenged. 

About  a  week's  journey  up  the  river  are  the  Grosse 
Chaudiere  Falls,  or  rather  succession  of  falls,  varying 
in  height  from  ten  to  thirty  feet  each.  Several  years 
ago,  so  tlie  Indians  say,  a  sorcerer,  after  making  cer- 
tain incantations,  shot  safely  over  all  this  series  of 
frightful  falls  in  his  canoe.  At  the  foot  of  the  big 
falls  is  a  splendid  pool  for  ouananiche,  from  which 
some  very  large  specimens  of  the  fish  have  been  taken 
by  Mr.  B.  A.  Scott,  the  late  Dr.  Lundy,  and  others. 
It  is  possible  that  they  may  be  found  still  higher  up 
the  stream,  but  I  have  not  been  able  to  obtain  any 
positive  proof  of  their  existence  there. 

The  upper  waters  of  this  rivei"  are  referred  to  in  the 
chapter  on  Lake  Mistassini. 


part  Sf 

THE   MISTASSINI   EIVER   AND  ITS   FIFTH 

FALLS 


THE    MISTASSINI    RIVEK   AND    ITS    FIFTH 

FALLS 


One  of  the  most  frtquented  camping  sites  and 
fishing-grounds  of  late  years  to  the  north  of  Lake  St. 
John,  largely,  no  douht,  on  account  of  its  accessibili- 
ty, is  at  the  lifth  falls  of  the  Mistassini.  It  may  be 
reached  in  a  day's  journey  up  the  river  from  Rober- 
val.  The  steamer  Le  Colon  ascends  the  ]\[istassini 
twice  a  week,  leaving  Roberval  early  in  the  morning, 
crossing  Lake  St.  John,  some  fifteen  miles,  to  the 
mouth  of  the  river,  which  is  nearly  two  miles  wide, 
and  ascending  the  stream  nearly  twenty  miles  to  the 
mouth  of  the  Riviere  au  Foin,  or  Mistassibi,  near  the 
foot  of  the  Mistassini's  first  falls.  The  journey  up 
the  river  is  exceedingly  tedious,  on  account  of  its 
constantly  changing  sand-bars,  and  it  is  sometimes 
after  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  when  the  steamer 
reaches  her  destination.  The  Mistassibi  is  a  very 
handsome  stream,  three  to  four  hundred  feet  wide; 
and  nearly  a  mile  from  its  mouth,  at  its  first  falls, 
is  a  primitive  Trappist  monastery.  Here  the  brown 
and  white  habited  monks,  whose  almost  only  saluta- 
tion is  '■^Memento  morir''  divide  the  long  hours  of 
their  working  and  praying  day,  from  2  a.m.  to  8  or 


223         Tllli    MI8TA88INI    lilXEli   AND    ITS    FIFTH    FALLS 

9  P.M.,  between  their  devotions  and  manual  labor 
upon  their  farm  and  in  their  log-house. 

Very  good  ouanainche  fishing  may  often  be  had 
at  the  foot  of  the  tiiird  falls  of  the  Mistassibi.  The 
mouth  of  this  pretty  river,  where  the  steamer  moors, 
is,  as  already  mentioned,  very  near  to  the  first  falls 
of  the  Mistassini.  Here,  also,  the  ouananiche  fre- 
quently halt  to  feed  on  their  way  up  the  river,  and 
at  times  good  catches  have  been  made.  The  sur- 
roundings, too,  are  exceedingly  picturesque,  and 
there  is  a  settler's  house  near  by,  where  fresh  milk, 
butter,  eggs,  and  vegetables  may  bo  obtained  —  a 
rather  unusual  luxury  so  far  north  in  the  woods. 
From  the  foot  of  the  first  to  the  foot  of  the  iifth 
falls  of  the  Mistassini  there  are  only  four  portages. 
None  of  them  are  long,  and  two  or  throe  of  them  are 
only  a  couple  of  minutes'  walk  each.  The  distance  from 
the  first  to  the  fifth  falls — which  is  easily  covered  in 
about  two  hours — is  not  more  than  five  miles,  and  the 
longest  water  stretch  is  about  two  miles.  Jjctween 
the  second  and  third  falls  of  the  Mistassini  there  are 
mingled  with  its  waters  those  of  the  Riviere  aux 
Rats.  This  is  a  rapid  stream  twenty-five  miles  in 
length,  the  outlet  of  Lac  aux  Rats — a  large,  long,  nar- 
row lake,  which,  though  seldom,  if  ever,  visited  by 
anglers,  contains  very  large  specimens  of  the  dark- 
colored  ouananiche,  similar  to  those  found  in  Lac  a 
Jim  and  Tschotagama,  and  known  to  the  Indians  as 
ouchachoumac.  The  journey  from  the  mouth  of  the 
Riviere  aux  Rats  to  the  lake  occupies  two  days. 

Returning  to  the  Mistassini,  it  may  be  well  to  ex- 
plain, for  the  benefit  of  those  who  are  strangers  to 


THE    MISTAS8INI    RIVKK    AND   ITS    FIFTH    FALLS         223 

the  geograpliy  in  dotuil  of  this  Nortiiorn  country, 
that  tlio  river  has  no  connection  whatever  with  tiie 
lake  of  tiio  same  name.  Undoubtedly  it  was  early 
given  the  name  of  the  great  lake  because  of  the  erro- 
neous belief  that  it  received  the  discharge  of  its  waters, 
the  fact  being  that  Lake  Mistassini  is  discharged  by 
way  of  the  Rupert  River  into  James's  Bay.  The  river 
named  after  it  is  not  even  so  direct  a  highway  to  the 
great  lake  as  is  the  AsliuaiMuouchouan. 

The  facility  and  ease  with  which  the  Mistassini  ma}'' 
be  ascended  to  the  foot  of  the  fifth  falls  makes  it 
an  enjoyable  trip  for  parties  accompanied  by  ladies. 
The  basin  below  the  falls  is  fully  a  quarter  of  a  mile 
across,  and  on  either  side  of  it  are  splendid  sandy 
beaches  suitable  for  camping  purposes.  But  the  camp 
site  ^x«y  excellence  is  the  summit  of  the  pretty  island, 
some  half  acre  or  so  in  extent,  that  divides  the  falls 
in  two.  An  immense  body  of  water,  especially  in  the 
spring  of  the  year,  hurls  itself  over  the  precipice  in  a 
large  fleecy  mass,  like  that  at  Montmorenci  or  the 
Ouiatchouan,  by  a  sheer  fall,  here  of  some  twenty-five 
to  thirty  feet  in  height.  This  main  fall  is  some  two 
to  three  hundred  yards  in  length.  Its  constant  roar 
may  be  heard  for  miles  around,  and  its  spray  is  con- 
tinually ascending  to  nearly  half  its  height.  The 
lesser  falls,  on  the  north  side  of  the  island,  contain  a 
very  much  less  volume  of  water  than  the  other,  and 
are  not  quite  twenty  feet  in  height.  In  part  they  are 
broken  in  two,  forming  a  natural  fishway  or  ladder, 
by  means  of  which,  and  by  which  alone,  the  ouana- 
niche  continue  their  ascent  of  the  river.  Some  two- 
thirds  of  the  distance  up  this  lesser  fall — say  twelve 


224        THE    MISTASSINI   KIVER   AND    ITS    FIFTH    FALLS 

feet  from  its  base  and  six  from  the  brink — is  a  fuirlv 
deep  cavity  in  the  rock,  forming  a  miniature  pond 
twenty  to  thirty  feet  in  length  by  ten  in  width,  into 
which  the  ouananiche  may  often  be  seen  to  leap  from 
below,  sometimes  after  repeated  ia" lures,  and  from 
which  others  may  be  seen  ascending  into  the  stream 
above.  It  may  at  first  sight  appear  improbable  that 
the  ouananiche  should  overcome  a  sheer  fall  of  twelve 
feet  or  thereabouts,  but  it  will  be  remembered  by 
readers  of  Forest  and  Stream  that  Mr,  A.  ]N'.  Cheney 
has  proved,  by  the  evidence  ol  Professor  A.  Landmark, 
that  the  Atlantic  salmon  in  Norwegian  rivers  has 
made  perpendicular  leaps  of  sixteen  feet.  Resting 
a  while  in  this  pool,  the  ouananiche  will  sometimes 
rise  to  the  fly  or  take  a  bait,  and  then  ensues  a  strug- 
gle. When  he  feels  the  barb  the  tish  instinctively 
seeks  to  escape  by  endeavoring  to  return  to  the  heavy 
waters  whence  he  came,  and,  despite  the  angler's  ef- 
forts, some  fish  when  hooked  have  succeeded  in  this 
endeavoi',  and  yet  by  skilful  manipulation  have  been 
eventually  saved  and  brought  to  net.  There  are 
favorite  spots  for  the  sport  all  over  the  wide,  foam- 
bedecked  pool  below  the  falls,  where,  at  almost  all 
times  from  the  middle  of  July  to  the  1st  September, 
under  favorable  conditions,  the  fish  will  take  the  fly. 
I  have  said  "  under  favorable  conditions,"  because  I 
have  known  of  tiraf.s  when  the  fish  were  undoubted- 
ly there,  but  could  not  be  tempted  at  all.  This  was 
usually  due  to  the  fact  that  they  had  been  frightened 
by  the  presence  of  too  many  anglers  and  canoes  upon 
the  pools,  and  the  consequent  troubling  of  the  waters. 
Those  who  enjoy  the  reading  of  a  piece  of  pleasant 


THE   MISTASSINI    RIVER   AND    ITS   FIFTH    FALLS         325 

word-painting  of  fish  and  fisliing  will  be  interested  in 
the  following  extracts  from  Mr.  E.  J.  Myers's  article 
on  ''  La  Cinquieme  Chute  "  in  the  Ainerioan  Field  of 
May  26,  1894 : 

"  Only  in  the  waters  of  the  Great  Falls  does  one  learn  the  unend- 
ing pleasure  of  killing  the  ouananiehe,  and  the  many  ways  which 
must  be  resorted  to  to  tempt  this  wary  antagonist  to  take  up  the  gage 
of  battle.  Standing  on  a  ledge  of  rocks  rising  out  in  the  river,  and 
drawing  your  flies  with  short  cast  in  the  eddies  which  form  around 
the  points,  as  if  the  flies  were  swimming  against  the  stream,  one  will 
plainly  see  the  swift  rush  of  the  ouananiehe  to  seize  the  fly,  and,  on- 
ward flashing,  take  the  tip  of  the  rod  under  the  surface  ere  the  sting 
of  the  barb  makes  him  madly  flash  in  the  air.  Or  casting  forty  to 
flfty  feet  far  out  in  the  current,  the  dip,  dip  of  the  rod  makes  the  fly 
swim  to  one's  feet,  and  the  strike  of  the  ouananiehe  in  taking  the 
fly  down  the  stream — attested  by  a  savage  tug — smites  the  nerves 
like  an  electric  shock. 

"  Or  getting  into  the  canoe  upon  a  cushion  of  fragrant  boughs  the 
angler  goes  out  on  the  flood,  the  birchen  craft  dancing  on  the  waves 
like  a  cockle-shell,  and  casts  the  dainty  flies  upon  the  huge  patches 
of  white  foam  that  often  rise  two  feet  thick,  making  them  flutter, 
skitter,  and  leap  as  though  they  were  living;  and  then  conies  the 
quick,  intense  rush  of  blood  and  quickening  of  nerves  and  muscles, 
as  the  ouananiehe,  likea  flash  of  light,  cleaves  the  foam  and  seizes  the 
fly,  often  taking  it  with  one  mad  leap  upward  into  the  air,  as  the 
glittering  mass  of  feathers  flutters  above  the  foam. 

Unto  no  one  combination  of  feather  or  color  is  he  wedded ;  for 
one  season  they  have  risen  unto  all  changes  of  yellow,  and  another 
season  unto  all  variations  of  dark  gray  and  black  ;  and  then  have 
I  lamented  to  find  them  rising  to  green  tints  when  I  had  only  two 
or  three  in  my  entire  collection.  So  have  I  angled  all  day,  with 
changes  to  all  that  fancy  could  suggest,  without  success,  until,  when 
I  was  thoroughly  discouraged  at  dusk,  they  rose  at  the  Parmachenee 
Belle  and  white-winged  Admiral  with  an  appetite,  and  fought  in  the 
twilight  with  a  mad  ferocity,  that  more  than  compensated  for  the 
disappointments  of  the  day. 

"  I  know  no  fish  that  will  rise  to  the  fly  or  take  the  troll,  whether 
it  be  phantom  minnow  or  whirling  spoon,  like  the  ouananiehe.     It 

15 


THE   MISTA8SINI    KIVEK   AND   ITS   FIFTH    FALLS 

will  flglit  harder  and  more  madly  than  any  fish  its  size,  and  will 
exhibit  more  tricks  to  expel  the  fly,  or  to  free  itself  from  the  im- 
paling fangs  of  the  troll,  than  fancy  itself  can  promise.  Over  and 
over  again  have  I  sought  to  kill  two,  that  weighed  a  pound  or  over 
each,  at  one  cast,  and  have  failed.  1  have  taken  the  best  nine-foot 
salmon  leaders — U'sted  at  eleven  pounds — and,  tying  a  loop  about 
six  feet  from  one  end,  have  tied  a  fly  on  each  end,  and  then  have 
made  my  cast.  I  have  seen  the  flies  taken  by  le  beau  saumon,  which 
rose  in  the  air  as  though  hurled  from  a  catapult,  and  then  the  rod 
would  straighten  and  the  line  come  back  with  leader  and  flies  gone, 
the  great  leader  snapped  like  a  linen  thread  by  the  simultaneous  leap 
of  two  fishes  into  the  air. 

"  Standing  upon  a  rock  at  the  very  foot  of  the  Great  Falls,  with  a 
Wood  rod,  reel,  and  cast,  in  all  weighing  fourteen  ounces,  I  stabbed 
the  ouananiche  and  gave  the  rod  to  the  Lady  Cecilia  Rose,  to  play 
and  land  the  quarry.  I  have  seen  her  gasp  with  delight  as,  half- 
blinded  by  the  spray,  she  barely  saw  the  leap  of  the  ouananiche 
from  the  foamy  waters.  Many  a  time  did  her  ladyship  let  the 
quarry  escape,  because  her  fear  of  the  frail  quality  of  the  rod  made 
her  lower  the  tip  when  she  should  have  given  the  butt.  .  .  .  No- 
where that  I  have  ever  pitched  my  tent  may  compare  with  the 
beauty,  picturesqueness,  and  grandeur  of  the  island  in  the  Mistas- 
sini.  Truly  it  is  a  rough  diamond  set  where  the  waters  are  silver. 
The  sport  had  been  enjoyed,  the  game  tested.  The  angler  had  not 
come  in  vain,  and  all  was  indeed  well." 


Ipatt  11111 
OTHER  TOURS 


OTHER  TOURS 


The  description  already  given  of  the  descent  of  La 
Grande  Decharge  and  the  ascent  of  the  Peribonca, 
Mistassini,  and  Ashuapmouchouan  rivers  will  have  sug- 
gested, to  those  accustomed  to  such  trips,  a  number  of 
points  at  which  they  may  be  varied  to  suit  the  tastes 
of  individual  anglers,  or  the  length  of  time  they  may 
desire  to  devote  to  them.  The  indication  of  a  few 
other  touvs  will  doubtless  be  found  useful. 

From  the  upper  waters  of  the  Peribonca,  by  means 
of  various  portages,  streams,  and  lakes,  the  tourist  may 
reach  the  headv^aters  of  the  Betsiamitz  and  descend 
that  river  to  the  St.  Lawrence.  This  trip  would  oc- 
cupy some  three  to  four  weeks,  and  would,  perhaps,  be 
more  comfortably  made  by  ascending  the  Betsiamitz 
and  descending  the  Peribonca.  The  upper  waters  of 
both  streams  are  described  by  the  late  Mr.  W.  A. 
Ashe,  D.L.S.,  by  Mr.  A.  P.  Low,  and  by  Mr.  John  Big- 
nell,  who  all  made  this  trip,  as  plentifully  stocked  with 
fish. 

From  Lake  Tschotagama,  which  has  been  already 
described,  a  number  of  tours  may  be  arranged.  The 
Grande  Decharge  may  be  reached  from  it  in  three  or 
four  days,  either  by  way  of  the  river  des  Aulnaies  or 


380  OTHER   TOURS 

by  that  of  the  Shipshaw.  In  each  case  it  is  neces- 
sary to  leave  Tschotagama  at  or  near  its  eastern  ex- 
tremity. 

To  Lac  des  Habitants  there  is  a  portage  of  about  a 
mile  from  Tschotagama.  This  lake  is  fairly  full  of 
trout,  about  half  a  pound  in  weight,  that  rise  well  to 
the  fly,  and  it  is  very  seldom  fished.  Lac  des  Habi- 
tants empties  into  the  river  des  Aulnaies,  where  the 
stream  is  not  much  more  than  twenty  feet  wide. 
Lower  down  its  width  is  increased  to  forty  feet.  It 
contains  trout,  and  flows  into  the  Saguenay,  twenty- 
one  miles  below  Lake  St.  John,  by  means  of  a  fall 
seventy-five  feet  high,  and  some  thirty  miles  after  re- 
ceiving the  waters  of  the  Lac  des  Habitants.  In  the 
course  of  these  thirty  miL's  there  are  four  rapids,  two 
of  which  must  be  portaged. 

The  trip  to  the  Saguenay  from  Tschotagama,  by 
way  of  the  Shipshaw,  though  somewhat  difficult,  is 
quite  picturesque.  Tschotagama  is  left  by  ascending 
the  river  Blanche,  which  flows  into  it  from  the  east. 
The  stream,  which  contains  small  trout,  is  followed 
for  about  four  miles.  Then  there  are  two  short 
portages  to  Lac  a  I'Ours,  which  is  two  miles  and  a  half 
long,  and  contains  trout  up  to  about  half  a  pound  in 
weight.  A  two  to  three  mile  portage  leads  to  Lac  a 
Brochet — quite  a  familiar  name  in  this  north  country, 
for  those  responsible  for  the  nomenclature  of  these 
waters  seem  to  have  had  a  weakness  for  applying  it 
to  all  lakes  found  to  contain  hrochet^  or  pike.  This 
particular  Lac  a  Brochet  contains  both  pike  and  trout, 
and  is  about  three  miles  long.  After  a  series  of  small- 
er lakes  and  shorter  portages,  the  river  Shipshaw  is 


OTHER   TODR8  281 

reached,  a  stream  of  about  the  same  size  as  the  Little 
Peribonca,  containing  trout  up  to  two  and  three  pounds. 
The  river  can  only  be  descended  in  canoe  for  some  eigh- 
teen miles,  and  there  are  falls  to  be  portaged  around 
almost  as  fine  as  those  of  the  Peribonca.  The  Shipshaw 
flows  into  the  Saguenay  nine  miles  above  Chicoutimi. 
So  natural  a  route  is  this  from  Lake  Tschotagama  to 
the  Saguenay,  by  way  of  the  Shipshaw  valley,  that  Mr. 
P.  H.  Dumais,  who  has  explored  it  for  the  government, 
declares  that  by  damming  the  Peribonca  a  little  be- 
low the  confluence  of  Tschotagama  the  waters  of  the 
river  would  run  into  this  lake,  which  extends  ten  miles 
to  the  southeast.  The  river  Blanche,  which  flows  into 
it,  would  be  considerably  raised,  and  this  last  having 
no  fall,  and  but  a  slight  current  throughout  its  en- 
tire length,  the  waters  of  the  Peribonca  would  speed- 
ily rush  through  Bear  Lake,  in  the  valley  of  the  Ship- 
shaw, which  is  wide  and  deep,  and  would  follow  its 
natural  course  until  they  were  lost  in  the  waters  of 
the  Saguenay. 

By  ascending  the  river  Aleck,  which  flo\vs  into  the 
Peribonca  twentv-nine  miles  from  Lake  St.  John,  the 
Little  Peribonca  may  be  reached,  thirty-seven  miles 
from  its  mouth,  by  a  number  of  portages  and  by  util- 
izing a  portion  of  the  river  Pipham.  In  the  river 
Aleck  are  to  be  found  trout  in  abundance  of  about 
a  foot  in  length ;  while  Mr.  R.  R.  McCormick,  of 
Florida,  and  his  son,  Mr.  W.  McCormick,  took  them 
here,  in  the  summer  of  1895,  up  to  five  pounds  in 
weight,  and  ouananiche  up  to  seven  and  one  -  half 
pounds.  Three  falls  have  to  be  portaged  around  in 
this  river,  one  of  which  is  forty  feet  in  height.      Both 


883  OTHER   T0UB8 

ouananiche  and  trout  are  found  in  the  Little  Peribonca. 
The  trout  run  up  to  a  pound  and  a  half  in  weight. 
The  ouananiche  in  its  lower  waters  are  not,  generally 
speaking,  either  so  plentiful  or  so  large  as  those  to  bo 
found  higher  up  the  stream.  Fifteen  miles  from  its 
union  with  the  Peribonca  the  river  Aleck  receives  on 
its  left  side  the  waters  of  the  Riviere  des  Aigles,  a 
stroam  some  forty  feet  wide,  in  which  may  be  found 
trout  up  to  two  pounds  in  weight.  By  ascending  the 
river  to  Lac  des  Aigles,  trout  of  three  to  four  pounds 
may  be  had. 

Then,  again,  these  trips  may  be  varied  so  that  the 
return  will  be  by  way  of  the  river  Aleck  instead  of 
the  departure. 

The  Little  Peribonca  opens  up  the  way  to  a  number 
of  interesting  round  trips  for  canoes  and  campers,  and 
to  very  choice  fishing-grounds  for  both  ouananiche  and 
trout.  It  is  a  quarter  of  a  mile  wide  at  its  mouth, 
where  it  joins  the  Grand  Peribonca  some  two  miles 
from  Lake  St.  John,  and  for  its  lower  thirty-four  or 
thirty-five  miles  it  is  never  less  than  two  hundred  feet 
in  width.  There  are  ten  portages  to  be  made  in  that 
distance,  but  all  are  short  with  one  exception,  ^vhich  is 
about  a  mil«  and  a  quarter  in  length.  None  of  the 
others  are  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  mile,  and  most 
of  them  are  only  a  few  hundred  feet  each.  The  port- 
ages are  rendered  necessary  by  the  existence  of  falls  in 
the  river,  most  of  which  are  exceedingly  picturesque. 
This  is  particularly  true  of  the  chute  hlanche,  eleven 
miles  up  the  stream.  It  is  a  handsome  cataract,  fifty 
feet  high  and  shaped  like  a  horseshoe.  In  the  pools  at 
the  foot  of  these  falls  the  ouananiche  are  generally  in 


OTHER   T0UR8 

great  abundance,  and  may  often  be  seen  leaping  from 
ledge  to  ledge  of  the  falls  in  their  endeavor  to  ascend 
the  river.  They  may  also  be  found  in  a  lake  two 
days'  journey  up  the  stream.  The  last  and  longest  of 
the  ten  portages  already  referred  to  is  twenty -two 
miles  up  the  river,  and  above  it  there  are  three  or  four 
miles  of  comparatively  smooth  water.  Then  follow 
eight  miles  of  frightfully  strong  current,  up  which  the 
canoes  must  be  poled  to  the  discharge  of  the  lake. 
This  is  a  verj^  pretty  body  of  water,  surrounded  by 
high  mountains,  and  is  three  miles  long  by  one  wide. 
Ouananiche  are  usually  found  in  it  at  the  upper  end 
of  its  east  side.  Trout  up  to  two  and  three  pounds  in 
weight  are  often  taken  at  the  foot  of  the  various  falls 
of  the  Little  Peribonca,  but  tbov  cannot  be  called 
plentiful,  and  in  summer  they  must  be  sought  in  spring 
lioles.  A  short  portage  may  be  made  from  the  lake 
already  described  to  Lake  Epipham,  and  thence  the 
return  to  Lake  St.  John  ma}^  be  made  by  way  of  the 
Epipham  River,  or  a  more  extensive  tour  can  be  had 
by  continuing  through  a  number  of  lakes  into  the 
Riviere  des  Aigles,  and  thence  by  way  of  the  river 
Aleck  into  the  Peribonca.  Lake  Epipham  is  three 
miles  long,  and  its  outlet  of  three-quarters  of  a  mile 
in  length  runs  south  into  Little  Lake  Epipham.  Both 
lakes  contain  trout,  and  the  river  Epipham,  leaving 
the  little  lake,  empties,  after  a  course  of  eighteen 
miles,  into  the  Aleck  six  miles  from  its  junction  with 
the  Peribonca. 

But  by  continuing  east  from  Little  Lake  Epipham,  in- 
stead of  descending  the  river,  four  lakes  may  be  crossed, 
of  which  the  largest.  Lake  Long,  is  two  miles  in  length, 


984  OTHER   TOURS 

with  a  portage  of  about  a  tliird  of  a  mile  from  one  to 
tlie  other.  At  the  end  of  the- tliird  day  from  Lake  St. 
John  by  this  route  Lac  des  Aigles  may  bo  reached. 
This  lake  is  noted  for  its  trout.  In  its  cool,  deep 
waters  the  namaycush,  or  lake  trout,  have  been  taken 
lip  to  thirty  pounds  in  weight,  lufontlnalls  are  also 
large,  and  the  fishing  for  them  in  its  discharge  partic- 
ularly good.  Many  of  them  weigh  from  three  to  four 
pounds  each.  The  outlet  of  the  lake,  known  as  the 
Riviere  des  Aigles,  empties  into  the  Aleck  fifteen  miles 
from  its  union  with  the  Peribonca.  The  distance 
from  Lac  des  Aigles  to  the  mouth  of  the  Peribonca 
can  easily  be  covered  in  a  day  and  a  half,  so  that 
the  entire  round  trip  need  not  occupy  more  than  six 
days,  even  allowing  for  spending  parts  of  two  days  in 
fishing. 

A  very  popular  trip  with  American  anglers  is  that 
to  Lac  a  Jim  by  way  of  the  Ashuapmouchouan,  re- 
turning by  the  Mistassini.  That  portion  of  the  tour 
involved  in  the  ascent  of  the  Ashuapmouchouan  has 
been  described  in  the  chapter  dealing  Avitli  the  river, 
and  the  locality  has  been  designated  at  which  "  the 
river  where  the  moose  feeds  "  is  left  for  the  portage 
route  to  Lac  a  Jim,  which  runs  through  a  chain  of 
small  lakes  and  intervening  country.  Lac  a  Jim  is 
reached  on  the  second  afternoon  after  leavmg  the 
Ashuapmouchouan.  If  the  camp,  at  the  end  of  the 
first  day's  journey,  be  pitched  at  the  Lac  aux  Brochets, 
the  angler  may  enjoy  splendid  trolling.  The  lake, 
which  is  irregular  in  shape  and  some  mile  and  a  half 
long,  and  very  weedy,  fairly  teems  with  pike,  one  of 
which  frequently  seizes  the  spoon  almost  as  soon  as 


OTHER   TOURS  285 

it  readies  the  water.  A  portage  across  a  hill  and  a 
tedious  journey  along  six  miles  of  a  narrow  river,  little 
more  than  a  creek  overhung  with  bushes,  conducts  to 
another  portage  through  a  brulu  of  about  an  hour, 
measured  by  the  time  that  is  required  to  get  over  it. 

Lac  ii  Jim  is  a  handsome  body  of  water  seven  to 
eight  miles  long,  which  takes  its  name  from  the  site, 
still  visible,  of  the  former  camp  of  Jim  Kaphael,  an 
old-time  Indian  hunter.  Its  waters  teem  with  fish 
of  various  kinds.  Its  ouananiche  are  so  large  and 
dark  that  the  Indians  call  them  ouchachouraac,  or 
salmon.  Seldom,  if  ever,  do  they  with  readiness  take 
the  artificial  fly  in  these  waters.  But  the  sport  to 
be  had  by  trolling  is  of  a  very  high  order.  And  it  is 
not  confined  to  ouananiche  either,  for  large  brook- 
trout,  and  larger  lake-trout,  as  well  as  monster  pike, 
frequent  its  waters.  Dore  are  there  too,  and  often 
seize  the  angler's  troll.  Lac  a  Jim  empties  into  the 
Mistassini  by  way  of  the  Wassiemska  Kiver,  a  heavy, 
rough,  violent  stream,  whose  rapids  will  bear  com- 
parison with  those  of  the  large  main  tributaries  of 
Lake  St.  John.  The  run  down  this  river  in  bark 
canoe  is  a  very  exciting  experience.  The  Mistassini 
River  is  reached  close  to  its  tenth  fall,  and  a  few 
hours  suffice  to  run  the  remaining  rapids  and  portage 
the  intervening  falls  until  the  camp  at  the  Cinquii^me 
Chute  is  come  to.  This  attractive  lair  of  the  ouana- 
niche has  been  described  in  the  chapter  on  the  Mistas- 
sini, together  with  the  lower  stretches  of  the  river. 
The  entire  round  trip  can  be  comfortably  made  in 
nine  or  ten  days. 

Interesting  trips  may  also  be  made  by  way  of  the 


236  OTHER   TOL'KS 

Ouiatcl]ouaniche,  the  pretty  stream  that  flows  into 
Lake  St,  John  close  by  the  Roberval  Hotel.  The 
lower  portion  of  its  course  is  so  exceeding!  •-  rapid 
that  canoes  have  to  be  driven  overland  a  few  miles 
back,  and  somewhat  higher  up  the  stream  very  ex- 
cellent tr^at-iisliing  may  be  had.  Catches  of  one 
hundred  to  one  hundred  and  fifty  small  fish  in  a  day 
have  been  reported  from  as  near  the  hotel  as  eight  or 
nine  miles.  By  continuing  the  ascent  of  the  river  for 
two  full  days  the  habitat  of  much  heavier  fish  may 
be  reached.  Here  the  fontinalis  often  run  from  two 
to  three  pounds  each  in  weight,  and  here,  in  August, 
1895,  Dr.  Altshul,  of  New  York,  took  in  Hound  Lake 
a  large  lot  of  speckled  beauties  weighing  from  one  and 
a  half  to  three  pounds  each,  though  he  was  absent  from 
his  hotel  at  Iloberval  but  three  days  in  all.  Via  the 
headwaters  of  this  stream  there  are  portage  routes 
to  the  waters  of  the  St.  ]\[aurice  system.  The  upper 
waters  of  the  St.  Maurice  drain  a  number  of  lakes, 
noted,  together  with  their  feeders,  for  the  splendid 
trout  which  they  contain.  This  large  river,  which 
contains  monster  pike,  maskinonge,  and  other  fish, 
may  be  descended,  with  very  few  portages,  to  its 
junction  with  the  St.  Lawrence  at  Three  Elvers. 

South  of  Lake  St.  John  a  very  pretty  ten  to  twelve 
days'  trip  may  be  had  by  ascending  the  Metabetchouan 
River  to  some  thirt}^  miles  above  Kiskisink,  thence  by 
way  of  Lac  aux  Ecorces  into  La  Belle  Riviere,  which  is 
descended  to  its  mouth  at  Lake  St.  John.  Both  the 
river  and  the  Lac  de  la  Belle  Riviere,  as  well  as  lake 
and  river  aux  Ecorces,  contain  large  quantities  of 
beautiful  trout,  that  here  attain  to  very  large  size. 


OTHEK   TOURa  287 

The  Messrs.  McCormick,  of  Florida,  spent  nearly  a 
month  upon  the  river  aux  l^corces  in  the  autumn  of 
1895,  and  enjo3'ed  splendid  sport,  taking  trout  there 
up  to  seven  and  a  half  pounds  each.  In  the  fall  of 
189-i  I  was  shown  a  brook -trout  weighing  eight 
pounds,  taken  out  of  Lake  Kenogami,  in  the  same 
district.  Mr.  McCarthy,  Mr.  Dean,  Mr.  Curtis,  and 
the  late  Dr.  Lundy  liave  all  made  wonderful  catches 
of  trout  in  La  Belle  Riviure  and  the  lake  of  the  same 
name. 

The  valley  of  the  Belle  Riviere  is  perhaps  the  fa- 
vorite feeding-ground  of  the  caribou  in  the  Lake  St. 
John  country.  Numbers  of  these  beautiful  animals 
are  killed  here  every  year. 

There  is  no  end  to  the  number  of  canoe  and  camp- 
ing trips  that  can  be  made  in  every  part  of  this 
Northern  country,  so  complete  is  its  network  of  lakes 
and  rivers.  It  has  been  shown  in  the  preceding  pages 
that  almost  the  entire  distance  from  Lake  St.  John  to 
James's  Bay,  via  Lake  Mistassini,  may  be  covered  by 
water,  and  that  somewhat  similar  canoe  trips  may  be 
made  from  Lake  St.  John  to  the  St.  Lawrence — firstly, 
by  way  of  the  Grande  Decharge  and  the  Saguenay ; 
secondly,  by  ascending  the  Peribonca,  and  either 
reaching  the  Saguenay  by  way  of  the  Shipshaw  or 
Des  Aulnaies,  or  descending  the  Betsiamitz  directly 
to  the  St.  Lawrence ;  and  tliirdiy,  by  way  of  the 
Ouiatchouaniche  and  St.  Maurice  rivers.  A  still  more 
direct  watercourse  exists  by  way  of  the  Ouiatchouan 
and  Batiscan  and  connecting  waters  between  Lake 
St.  John  and  the  St.  Lawrence  at  Batiscan.  From 
above  the  falls  of  the  Ouiatchouan  the  river  can  be 


238  OTHER  TOURS 

ascended  to  Lake  Bouchetto,  thence  to  Commission- 
ers' Lake,  and  tlirougli  a  chain  of  smaller  lakes  to 
Lac  £carte,  the  headwaters  of  the  river.  A  portage 
thence  of  only  twenty  acres  leads  to  Lac  Najoua- 
louank,  twelve  miles  long,  which  is  the  headwaters  of 
the  Bostonnais  Iliver.  A  few  small  lakes  must  now 
be  traversed,  and  then  a  portage  of  twenty -eight  acres 
brine's  the  traveller  over  the  heigiit  of  land  between 
Lake  St.  John  and  the  St.  Lawrence,  and  into  a  chain 
of  small  lakes  that  pour  their  surplus  waters  into 
Lake  Edward.  Thence  there  are  two  or  three  routes, 
all  well  known  to  the  Indians,  for  reaching  the  Batis- 
can,  portions  of  which  stream  must  be  portaged  on 
account  of  its  falls  and  exceedingly  rapid  water. 

UNLEASED  FISHING  WATERS 

Inquiries  have  frequently  reached  me  as  to  the 
rivers  and  lakes  of  the  Province  of  Quebec  in  which 
the  fishing  privileges  are  still  disposable.  Through 
the  courtesy  of  the  Hon.  E.  J.  Flynn,  Commissioner 
of  Crown  Lands,  I  have  been  furnished  with  the  fol- 
lowing carefully  prepared  list : 

In  the  County  of  Suguenay — Rivers  :  Salmon,  St.  Paul,  Nabitipi, 
Mecalina  (Little),  Mecatiua  (Great),  Kercaponi,  Natagaraiou,  Derby, 
Little  Natashquan,  Goynish  (less  six  miles  of  the  west  shore),  Na- 
bisipi,  Washeeshoo,  Little  and  Great  Romaine,  Mingan,  St.  John, 
Magpie,  Sheldrake  (the  nine  last  named  to  begin  six  miles  from 
the  gulf  shore),  Pigou,  Trout,  Moisic  Eau  Doree,  Moisic  Rouge, 
Moisic  Nepeesis,  Des  Rapides  aux  Foins,  Marguerite,  Baie  dea 
Rochers,  Calumet,  Pentecote,  Aux  Anglais,  Amedee  il  la  Chasse, 
Manicouagan,  Toudnoostook,  Outarde,  Papiuachois,  Bersimis, 
Boucher,  Laliberte,  Ahuepi  (part  of),  Colombier,  Blanche,  Sault-au- 


OTHER   TOURS  889 

Cochon,  Petit  Escoumains,  Escouniiiins,  Portneuf  (from  the  rear 
line  of  the  .seigniory),  Suuit-au-Mouton,  river  aud  lalies  Aux 
Ciinnni.s,  Des  Rocliera. 

In  Chicoutimi  and  Lake  St.  John  counties— Laltes  in  townsliips 
St.  Geniuiiu,  Simard,  Bourget  ;  Rivers  :  Valin  (east  and  west  and 
central),  Shipslwuv,  Au  Sable,  Lac  aux  Brocliels,  Tiliouapic  (upper 
part),  Cliicoubiclie,  Du  Chef,  A  I'Ours,  Des  Grandes,  Oreilles, 
Boisvert. 

In  Charlevoi.x— St,  Auue,  aud  lakes  at  the  roar  of  the  seigniory 
of  Cote  Beaupie. 

lu  Chainplain,  St.  Maurice,  Maskinonge,  Bcrthier,  and  Joliette 
counties— Tlie  lakes  in  the  townships  of  Lcjeune,  Casgrain,  Bou- 
cher, Polette  (tributaries  of  the  Wessoneau  excluded);  Kivi^re  aux 
Rats,  hikes  in  Turcotte,  Latuque,  Creek  A  Tom,  A  Bastien  ;  lakes 
in  township  of  Langelier,  river  Vermilion,  river  IMattawin,  Castor 
Noir,  AntiUamak,  A  la  Chiennc,  Des  Aigles,  Aux  Senelle.«,  Caousa- 
qunta,  Au  Poste  or  A  I'Eau  Claire,  rivers  and  Lake  Ignaee,  St. 
Gregoire,  Cypres,  Servais,  Obompsawin. 

In  Ottawa,  Montcalm,  and  Terrebonne— Upper  Rouge  River,  Du 
Diable  and  lakes,  North  Nation  River  and  lakes,  east  and  west 
branch  ;  lakes  in  Montigny,  Addington,  and  Loranger  townships  ; 
rivers  Brochets,  Du  Lievre  ;  lakes  in  Wells,  Bowman,  Wabassce, 
Boutillier,  Robinson,  Campbell,  Rochon,  Boyer,  Kiamika,  Riviere 
a  rOurs  and  lakes.  Lake  Cerf,  river  Gatineau  ;  lakes  in  Kensing- 
ton, Aumond,  Sicotte,  Egan,  Lytlon,  Baksatong  ;  Eagle  River  and 
lakes,  river  Desert  aud  lakes,  Ilibou,  Jean  de  Terre,  Des  Seize, 
Lake  Wapitagameny  and  river,  etc. 

Pontiae— LalK's  in  townships  Clapham,  Iluddersfield,  Ponte- 
fract,  Bryson  River,  CouUogne  (upper  part),  with  countless  num- 
bers of  lakes ;  Black  River  aud  lakes,  du  Moine  and  lakes,  Keepewa, 
comprising  five  groups  of  very  large  lakes;  Otter-tail  River,  lakes 
Beauchene,  etc.  Besides  these,  all  the  lakes  and  rivers  of  the 
Upper  Ottawa,  Upper  Gatineau,  Upper  Lievre,  Upper  St.  Maurice, 
which  are  not  at  present  easily  reached. 


©art  fifllir 


OTHER  FISH   AND   GAME 


OTHER  FISH  AND  GAME 


The  onananicho  is  not  b}''  any  means  tho  only  <^ame 
fish  in  tho  waters  in  which  it  is  found.  In  many  of 
the  Nortiiern  hikes  from  whicli  it  is  taken,  es])ecially 
in  Tscliotagama,  Manouan,  and  Lac  a  .lim,  and  in  some 
few  of  the  streams  to  Avhich  it  resorts,  trout  also 
abound,  both  nd/nat/cK.sh  and  foiifhiah's.  Only  in 
lakes,  however,  whore  the  trolling  is  better  than  the  fly- 
fishing, can  both  trout  and  ouananiclie  bo  successfully 
fished  together.  There  are  a  few  exceptions,  as  in  the 
case  of  portions  of  the  Little  Peribonca,  and  I  have 
taken  a  trout  and  a  ouananiche  u])on  the  same  cast  in 
the  Grande  Decharge,  each  about  three-quarters  of  a, 
I'ound  in  weight.  This  is  one  of  the  very  few  cases 
upon  record  in  which  this  has  been  done  in  this  north 
country,  and  hi  many  years'  experience  in  the  De- 
charge  I  have  only  taken  one  other  trout  there. 
Sometimes  the  catch  of  two  or  three  is  reported 
here  in  the  course  of  a  season.  In  other  years  none 
at  all  are  taken.  This  is  the  more  remarkable  from 
the  large  number  and  extent  of  the  trout  waters  which 
are  drained  into  Lake  St.  John  from  every  point  of 
the  compass. 


844  OTliKU    FKSII    AND   (iAMK 


THH  nUOOK-TIlOUT 


No  work  purporting  to  give  anvtliinf?  like  a  fjiir 
idoa  of  tlio  uttnictioiis  to  tli(5  {in<,W('r  ol'  tlu*  Caniidiati 
(Mivironinont  of  tlio  ouananiclio  could  lay  any  claim 
to  completeness  that  did  not  desi;^nate  at  least  a  few 
of  the  many  locilitics  where  the  trout  lisherman  may 
enjoy  a  full  measure  of  his  favorite  sj)ort.  JIow  one's 
appetite  for  it  is  whetted  by  the  reading' of  Mr.  A.  T. 
l.ow's  notes ■'^  upon  the  three  to  seven  pound  lish  that 
rise  to  tlie  fly  above  the  (Jrand  Falls  of  the  Hamil- 
ton Kivor!  Ts'^ot  even  the  far-famed  Nepigon  would 
appea."  to  compare  with  the  distant  Hamilton,  for  here 
^fi.  Low  found  no  small  lish  at  all.  Hut  few,  very 
few  angieis  can  expend  the  time  and  labor  necessary 
to  a  journey  into  that  far  country.  It  is  the  old  story 
of  the  distant  scene  and  the  onward  beckonin*,^  to  bet- 
ter things  than  the  present  in  the  great  unknown! 
AVhat  angler  would  willingly  be  deprived  of  the  charm 
of  expectancy 'i{ 

Fish  of  all  the  varieties  common  to  these  Labrador 
waters  are  exceeding!}''  plentiful  in  the  Hamilton 
Kiver,  and  in  one  catch  of  a  small  net  above  the  (ireat 
Falls  Mr.  Low  found  no  fewer  than  five  diiferent 
species — namch',  Cijpi'uiuH  Fornier'uuius  (red  sucking 
carp),  CorcyouMs  clupe'iformis  (common  whitefish), 
Sidvelinus  namayGu.sh  {gvaiii  lake -trout),  SalveUnui^ 
fontinalh  (brook -trout),  Enox  luelus  (})ike).  It  has 
already  been  mentioned  that  ouananiche  are  found 


*  See  tlie  chapter  upon  "The  Geogrti)>hical  Distribution  of  tho 
Ouammiche  " 


-5 
> 


0 


n 


c 


o 


OTIIKU    FISH    ANM   (iAMK  845 

abovo  tlio  (Jroiit  Kails,  and  salmon  and  scati'oiit  run 
up  tli(»  l<)\v<M'  part  of  the  str(»ani, 

Tiioro  uro  iinincnso  sp<'('iin(>ns  of  Sitfvtf I nifft  in  tho 
lower  stn^tflios  of  many  of  tiio  Labrador  streams  that 
empty  into  the  (Jnlf  and  Lower  St.  Lawrence,  and 
lusty  v;arrioi's  tliey  are  too,  as  many  old  salmon 
flslun'mon  can  testify.  Thus  tho  famous  nonagena- 
rian annl(>r  an<l  author,  Samuel  C  Clarke,  is  (pjoted 
by  Charles  Ilallock,  in  Furcut  and  Stream  of  February 
22,  181M!,  as  follows: 

"  Ever  Bliice  I  spout  iidiiy  on  tlie  Noiivcllo  Ulvcr,  in  (^inadti,  iiml 
nmdo  tlie  best  stiinj;  of  h\g  trout  tlmt  I  ever  killed,  I  liiive  l)eliev('d 
tiiiit  the  seiitroiit  (Sd/ntu  ('(inatfiiinin),  from  its  Kiilnion  like  trails 
and  bchiivior,  should  have  a  name  of  its  own,  whatever  the  pro- 
fessors may  say." 

Tiiese  fish  go  down  to  the  sea  in  j^reat  shoals,  and, 
after  seeing  and  fattening  upon  tho  wonders  of  tho 
ileep,  reascend  to  fresh  water,  to  spawn,  most  gor- 
geous in  their  freshly  burnished  liveries  of  silver  and 
olive  and  purple  and  crimson  jind  gold.  Many  are 
the  dis))utes  among  the  anglers  who  take  them  U])on 
their  salmon  tackle,  or  with  grilse  rods,  as  to  tho 
identity  of  their  species.  Strange  stories  are  told  me 
of  the  appearance  of  specimens  that  I  have  never  seen, 
but  that  are  reiwrted  toditfer  ivomfinUinalls  in  more 
than  the  immaterial  matter  of  coloring.  l>ut  for  this 
— and  sometimes  even  in  spite  of  it — I  am  tempted 
to  doubt  the  existence  of  any  distinction  but  that  of 
anadromy,  between  these  gorgeous  sea-trout  of  the 
estuaries  of  rivers  flowing  into  tho  gulf  and  the 
brook-trout  of  our  inland  waters.  In  other  words, 
are  they  not  to  these  latter  what  the  sea-salmon  is  to 


246  OTHER    FISH    AND   OlME 

the  ouananiche — a  frcsli-water  spocies  that  has  ac- 
quired the  sea-going  habit? 

Of  many  fruitful  tvout  Avaters  north  of  Lake  St. 
John,  more  frequently  i'l  the  lakes  and  smaller  streams 
with  which  the  countr}-  is  interlaced  than  in  the  large 
northern  feeders  of  the  great  lake  where  the  ouana- 
niche abound,  something  has  been  said  already  in 
the  chapter  devoted  to  a  description  of  a  number  of 
round  tri})s  by  canoe  and  portage  routes.  IMore  ai'e 
being  discovered  every  year.  Eeferenco  has  also  been 
made  to  the  capital  fly-fishing  to  be  had  a  few  miles 
east  of  Iloberval  in  the  Ouiatchouaniche.  In  tlie  lower 
Oulatchouan,  handsome  speckled  trout  are  ver}'  often 
secured  in  the  dark  pool  immediately  below  the  great 
falls,  less  than  a  mile  distant  from  the  famous  spring 
])ool  for  ouananiche  at  the  mouth  of  the  river.  Lac 
de  la  Belle  Riviere,  south  of  Lake  St.  John,  and  within 
easy  distance  of  the  railway,  affords  perhaps  the  finest 
trout-fishing  of  any  unleased  water  in  this  section  of 
the  country.  The  catch  of  two  anglers  here,  in  1S03, 
in  the  space  of  four  hours  amounted  to  two  hundred 
and  twenty-five  trout,  of  which  eleven  weighed  three 
and  a  half  to  four  and  a  half  pounds  each,  and  the  bal- 
ance from  three-quarters  of  a  pound  to  two  and  a  half 
pounds  each.  I  know  of  very  few  other  unleased 
trout  waters  in  this  section  of  country  where  this 
fishing  can  be  equalled,  but  it  car  be  repeated  in  any 
number  of  lakes  and  rivers  leased  to  clubs  and  private 
individuals,  between  Quebec  and  Lake  St.  John,  either 
on  the  preserves  of  the  Montmorency  Fish  and  Game 
Club,  the  Tourilli,  the  Triton,  the  Metabetchouan,  the 
Penn,  the]N'omantum,thex\mabalish,  the  Ouiatchouan, 


OTHER   FISH    AND   GAME  247 

or  on  those  of  a  number  of  other  clubs.  Most  of  these 
clubs  control  all  the  flshino;  and  hunting;  in  some  three 
to  four  hundred  square  miles  of  territory,  and  the  pre- 
serves of  some  of  them  will  become  all  the  more 
valuable  from  the  fact  that  they  border  upon  the  ter- 
ritory only  recently  set  apart  by  the  provincial  Legis- 
lature as  a  national  park.  The  membership  of  most 
of  them  is  principally  drawn  from  the  ranks  of  Kew 
York,  Boston,  Springfield,  AVashington,  Bridgeport, 
Kew  Haven,  Hartford,  and  Waterbury  anglers,  and 
pretty  much  all  of  them  are  full,  with  the  exception 
of  the  Triton,  which  is  of  only  recent  establishment. 

The  limits  of  this  club's  preserve  enclose  five  hundred 
square  miles  of  territory.  In  1892  Colonel  A.  L.  Light, 
C.E.,  president  of  the  club,  killed  fourteen  trout  in 
one  hour,  weighing  forty-five  pounds.  That  these  were 
not  exceptionally  heavy  fish  for  Canada's  north  coun- 
try is  shown  by  the  following  extract  from  Mr.  A.  N. 
Cheney's  "  Angling  Notes,"  in  Forest  and  Stream  of 
March  17,  1894: 

"In  Forest  and  Stream  of  February  24tli  I  quoted  from  a  letter 
■vrritten  to  me  from  Quebec  by  an  English  gentleman  travelling  in 
this  country  as  follows  :  '  I  thought  our  Kentish  Stour  Irout,  Avhich 
run  up  to  eight  and  a  half  and  nine  pounds,  were  large,  but  those 
here  scale  ten  pounds.'  He  did  not  say  what  kind  of  trout  they 
were,  but  I  assumed  that  they  were  onrfontinalis,  and  if  so  I  thought 
ten  pounds  rather  large  even  for  Canada  at  carnival  time  ;  therefore 
I  wrote  to  my  friend  Mr.  E.  T.  D.  Chambers,  of  Quebec,  to  ask 
about  the  species  and  the  weight,  and  whether  it  was  carnival  weight 
or  old-fashioned  avoirdupois.  Mr.  Chambers  writes  me  :  '  Your  last 
letter  interested  me  very  much,  particularly  as  I  happened  to  have 
seen  and  know  all  about  the  big  trout  therein  referred  to.  They 
were  monsters,  no  doubt,  and  Mfontinalis  at  that.  But  they  plaj'ed 
the  same  trick  upon  the  visual  contemplation  of  Mr.  H that 


248  OTHER    FISH    AND   GAME 

really  good  flsli  always  do  with  the  weights-and- measures  depart- 
ment of  even  the  best- balanced  mind  of  tiie  entliusiastic  antjlcr.  The 
heaviest  one  of  tiie  lot  weiglied  within  a  trifle  of  eight  pounds.  But 
everything  looked  large  up  here  iu  carnival  week,  and  at  times  even 
the  inhabitants  fell  big  over  the  success  of  the  carnival  anil  Ibe  gen- 
eral good  time.  Sorry  you  were  not  here,  and  sorry  that  I  did  not 
meet  your  friend,  though  naturally  pleased  that  I  should  have  been  the 
means,  through  sending  you  the  carnival  programme,  of  bringing 
him  up  here.  But  to  return  to  our  trout.  They  were  caught  in 
Janmiry  in  the  waters  of  the  Batiscan  that  are  comprised  within  the 
limits  of  the  Triton  Fish  and  Game  Club.  Of  course,  they  were 
taken  upon  lines  set  through  holes  in  the  ice,  and  by  special  per- 
mission of  the  Crown  Lands  Department,  seeing  that  fishing  through 
the  ice  is  now  prohibited  here,  I  suppose  that  from  three  to  four 
dozen  were  brought  to  town,  weighing  from  over  two  to  between 
seven  and  eight  pounds.  I  saw  them  all.  Part  were  displayed  at 
the  Garrison  Club  and  part  at  the  Chateau  Frontenac  during  car- 
nival week,  and  one  1  dissected  at  table.  To  be  exact,  1  have  in- 
quired of  Seatou,  superintendent  of  the  club,  who  brought  the  fish 
to  town,  what  the  heaviest  one  weighed,  and  he  frankly  admits  that 
it  was  barely  eight  pounds.  But  he  believes,  and  so  do  I,  that  the 
ten-pound  trout  are  there  where  the  eight-pounders  came  from,  and 
the  seven-pounders  in  plenty.  And  seven  or  eight  of  the  heavy 
hooks,  such  as  held  the  seven  and  eight  pound  trout,  were  broken 
through  by  the  '  big  uns '  that  escaped.  Shall  we  go  up  there  together 
this  year  and  try  to  find  them  V  These  fish,  particularly  when  frozen, 
do  look,  if  ever  fish  did,  as  if  there  was  something  wrong  with  the 
scales  tiiat  weighed  them.  So  symmetrical,  and  yet  so  plump  and 
finely  conditioned  !  And  despite  their  freezing  their  livery  of  crim- 
son and  fine  gold  is  wonderfully  lustrous,  and  they  must,  during 
life,  have  fared  sumptuously  every  day.  The  unfortunate  that  I 
subsequently  carved  looked  a  six- pound  fish.  So  I  guessed  before 
weighing  him,  but  he  turned  the  scale  at  five.  Others  had  similar 
experiences,  so  Mr.  H 's  was  not  a  solitary  one.'  " 

That  the  eight-pound  fish  above  referred  to  are  not 
the  largest  that  have  been  taken  out  of  this  tract  is 
shown  by  the  following  extract  from  a  letter  written 
rae  in  August,  1895,  by  Dr.  Robert  M.  Lawrence,  of 


OTHER    FI«Tr    AND   GAME  249 

"Washington,  D.  C.,an(l  Lexington,  ISIass.,  upon  his  re- 
turn from  >\  fishing  excursion  with  Dean  Ilobbins,  of 
Albany,  N.  Y.,  and  party :  "  In  Lake  Ijatiscan  the 
dean  caught  by  trolhng  an  eiglit-and-one-quarter-pound 
trout,  and  one  of  the  party  another  of  eight  and  one-half 
pounds.  The  latter  was  twenty-six  inches  long  and  sev- 
enteen in  girth.  Besides  these,  twelve  trout  were  caught 
whose  aggregate  weight  was  seventy-two  pounds." 

It  is  the  intention  of  the  management  of  this  club  to 
plant  ouananiche  in  some  of  its  waters,  and  there  are 
series  of  heavy  rapids  and  deep  lakes  in  which  they 
ought  to  thrive  splendidly. 

One  of  the  largest  bodies  of  unleased  trout  water  in 
this  section  of  the  countrv  is  Lac  des  Grandes  lies,  of 
recent  years  known  as  Lake  Edward.  It  is  a  marvel- 
lously beautiful  lake,  some  twenty  miles  long,  whose 
praises  have  been  rapturously  sung  by  Kit  Clarke,  W. 
II.  II.  Murray,  and  others.  DoAvn  in  the  depths  of  its 
clear  crystal  waters,  so  deep  down  that  they  seldom 
rise  to  the  surface  to  take  the  fly,  love  to  linger  some 
of  the  largest  and  most  brilliantly  colored  trout  of 
these  liigh  latitudes.  In  the  spring  of  the  year  they  are 
often  taken,  up  to  five  and  six  pounds  each  in  weight, 
with  live  njinnows.  The  fishing  is  here  at  its  best 
from  the  time  that  the  ice  leaves  the  lake,  early  in  May, 
up  to  the  middle  of  June.  Good  fly-fishing  may  be 
had  by  ascending  the  Riviere  aux  Eats,  a  westerly 
feeder  of  the  lake.  Boats,  guides,  and  hotel  accom- 
modation can  be  had  at  the  railway  station — one  hun. 
dred  and  thirteen  miles  from  Quebec — which  is  built 
upon  the  very  border  of  the  lake.  The  big  red-bellied 
trout  of  Lake  Edward  descend  the  Kiver  Jeannotte, 


250  OTHER    FISH    AND   GAME 

the  outlet  of  the  lake,  to  their  spawning-beds  during 
the  month  of  August.  This  river  is  leas(Ml  to  a  club 
that  h.as  a  month  or  six  W3eks  of  splendid  Ily-lishing 
on  the  preserve  in  the  autumn  of  every  year.  I  have 
enjoyed  the  fishing  here  for  a  couple  of  seasons,  and 
may  be  excused  for  repeating  the  report  of  a  novel 
experience  on  the  river  that  I  wrote  for  the  Christmas 
(1893)  number  of  Shooting  and  Fluhlng : 

"In  ft  favorite  pool  of  tlie  .Icannotte,  where  because  of  conven- 
ience, as  well  as  to  avoid  disturbing  the  water,  the  flsliing  is  usuullj' 
done  from  n  rocky  shore,  I  once  had  an  experience  that  called  to 
mind  some  capital  lines  of  the  late  John  Boyle  O'Reilly,  and  would 
seem  to  indicate  that  our  finny  friends  are  by  no  means  proof 
against  some  of  the  gallantries  of  the  human  kind.  It  was  in  the 
middle  of  September,  and  I  had  hooked  wliat  subsequently  proved 
to  be  a  very  handsome  female  fish — in  condition,  the  very  pink  of 
perfection.  As  my  rod  was  light,  less  than  five  ounces  in  weight, 
and  the  fish  both  heavy  and  strong,  I  had  rather  thoroughly  ex- 
hausted my  trout  before  attempting  to  bring  it  to  net.  To  provide 
against  the  success  of  a  possible  final  plunge,  I  had  gradually  con- 
ducted my  quarry  into  a  narrow  opening  running  some  distance 
between  two  low  ledges  of  rock,  upon  one  of  which  stood  my 
guide,  net  in  hand,  ready  for  the  closing  scene  of  the  struggle. 
Then  for  the  first  time  it  was  seen  that  there  were  two  trout  instead 
of  one  in  the  little  creek  or  bay  into  which  I  had  towed  my  fish. 
But  only  one  was  fast  to  my  line.  With  a  dexterous  sweep  of  the 
net  the  guide  secured,  not  in  the  first  instance  the  fish  that  had 
taken  the  fly,  but  a  handsome  red-bellied  male,  whose  determined 
accompaniment  of  the  securely  hooked  female  into  shallow  water 
had  rendered  him  apparently  oblivious  of  the  danger  into  which  he 
n'as  running.  And  as  I  reflected  upon  how  much  like  men  these 
fishes  are,  I  found  myself  repeating  : 

'"What  bait  do  you  use,' said  a  saint  to  the  devil, 
'When  you  fish  where  the  souls  of  men  abound?' 
'Well,  for  special  tastes,'  said  the  King  of  Evil, 
'Gold  and  fame  are  the  best  I've  found.' 


OTIIEIt    FISH    AND   OAME  251 

'Hut  for  goiicrnl  uao."  a.skcil  tlio  saint.     'Ah,  then,' 
Snlcl  tho  (lunion,  'I  nnglo  Tor  mnn.  not  men, 
Aiitl  a  tiling  I  liutu 
Is  to  cliiinj;(?  my  hiiit, 
So  I  fish  with  11  woman  tho  whole  year  ronnil.'" 

Tlie  incident  was  calculated,  too,  to  call  to  mind  tho 
innuinorabl(^  references  made  by  Oppian  to  the  loves 
of  the  fishes  in  his  llalieutlca^  the  reading  of  which 
humiliates,  as  it  reminds  us  how  many  details  of  nat- 
ural history  were  familiar  to  scientists  sixteen  and  a 
half  centuries  ago  that  the  busy  world  of  to  day  has 
no  time  to  investigate. 

The  Riviere  aux  Eats,  to  which  reference  has  al- 
ready been  made,  is  for  some  distance  above  its 
mouth  a  narrow,  deep,  sluggish  stream  winding  be- 
tween low  banks  of  swampy  land.  A  mile  or  two 
from  Lake  Edward,  however,  its  rapids  commence, 
and  exceedingly  Avild  and  picturesque  they  are,  the 
first  and  second  of  them  being  quite  precipitous  in 
their  descent.  In  and  above  them  are  pools  alfording 
the  best  of  fly-fishing,  the  trout  inhabiting  them  be- 
ing, strangely  enough,  quite  different  in  their  coloring 
from  those  of  Lake  Edward  and  the  Jeannotte.  Ex- 
cept in  the  very  early  spring  or  in  the  month  of  Septem- 
ber, the  flies  are  a  great  nuisance  up  Rat  River,  and  a 
good  sup))ly  of  a  powerful  repellent  is  necessary  to 
any  degree  of  comfort  there.  Some  of  the  lakes 
drained  by  Rat  River,  from  half  a  day  to  a  day's 
journey  up  the  stream,  contain  large  trout,  but  I  have 
always  found  more  success  upon  the  river  itself  in 
fly-fishing.  Mr.  Archibald  Stuart,  of  Fedden  House, 
Braco,  Perthshire,  Scotland,  had  good  sport  above  its 
rapids  while  fishing  with  me  there  in  June,  1894:. 


2.j2  otiiku  fish  and  game 

Nowlioro,  probably,  witbin  easy  distance  of  civili- 
zation, is  tbero  such  magniliccnt  trout  lisbing  to  be 
had  as  is  olForod  in  the  Grand  Lake  Jacqi.es  Cartior 
and  in  the  upper  half  of  the  splendid  stream  that  con- 
veys its  surplus  water  to  the  St.  Lawrence.  John 
Burroughs  has  made  memorable  the  fishing  in  these 
waters  in  his  Locusts  and  Wild  Honey.  From  the 
chapter  on  "The  Halcyon  in  Canada"  I  extract  a 
charming  description  of  the  killing  of  a  big  trout  by 
its  author's  fishing  companion.    ]\[r.  Burroughs  says: 

"In  the  moatitlinc  I  skipped  about  from  boulder  to  boulder 
as  the  fish  worked  this  way  or  that  about  the  pool,  peering  into 
the  water  to  catcli  a  ti;linipse  of  liim,  for  he  had  begun  to  yield  a 
little  to  the  steady  slraiu  that  was  kept  upon  him.  Presently  I  saw 
a  shadowy,  unsubstantial  something  just  emerge  from  the  blaek 
depths,  then  vanish.  Then  I  saw  it  again,  and  this  time  the  huge 
proportions  of  the  tish  were  faintly  outlined  by  the  white  facini^s  of 
his  fins.  The  sketch  lasted  but  a  twinkling  ;  it  was  only  a  Hitting 
shadow  upon  a  darker  backgroand,  but  it  gave  me  the  profoundest 
Ike  Walton  thrill  I  ever  experienced.  I  had  been  a  tisher  from 
my  earliest  boyhood.  I  came  from  a  race  of  fishers;  trout  streams 
gurgled  about  the  family  tree,  and  there  was  a  long  accumulated 
and  transmitted  tendency  and  desire  in  me  that  that  sight  gratified. 
I  did  not  wish  the  pole  in  my  hands ;  there  was  quite  enough  elec- 
tricity overflowing  from  it  and  filling  the  air  for  me.  The  fish 
yielded  more  and  more  to  the  relentless  pole,  till,  in  about  fifteen 
minutes  from  the  time  he  was  struck,  he  came  to  the  surface,  then 
made  a  little  whirlpool  where  he  disappeared  again.  But  presently 
he  was  up  a  second  time,  and  lashing  the  water  into  foam  as  the 
angler  led  him  towards  the  rock  upon  which  I  was  perched,  net  in 
hand.  As  I  reached  towards  him,  down  he  went  again,  and  taking 
another  circle  of  the  pool,  came  up  still  more  exhausted,  when,  be- 
tween his  paroxysms,  I  carefully  ran  the  net  over  him,  and  lifted 
him  ashore,  amid,  it  is  needless  to  say,  the  wildest  enthusiasm  of 
the  spectators.  The  congratulatory  laughter  of  the  loons  down  on 
the  lake  showed  how  even  the  outsiders  sympathized.    !Much  larger 


OTIIKU    FIHH    AND   GAME  288 

trout  linve  been  tnken  in  tliesc  waters  and  in  others,  but  tliis  flsh 
woulil  iiavc  swallowed  any  three  we  had  ever  before  caujjht. 

"  '  Vliat  does  he  weigh  V  was  the  natural  inquiry  of  each;  and 
we  took  turns  'hefting'  him.  Hut  gravity  was  less  potc^nt  to  U9 
just  then  tiian  usual,  and  the  fish  seemed  astonishingly  light. 

"  '  Four  pounds,'  we  said  ;  but  Joe  said  more.  So  we  improvised 
n  scale  ;  a  long  strip  of  board  was  balanced  across  a  stick,  and  our 
groceries  served  as  weights.  A  four-pound  package  of  sugar  kicked 
the  beam  quickly  ;  a  pound  of  colTee  was  added  ;  still  it  went  up; 
then  a  pound  of  tea,  and  still  the  flsh  had  a  little  the  best  of  it. 
But  we  called  it  six  pounds,  not  to  drive  too  sharp  a  bargain  with 
fortune,  and  were  more  than  satisfied.  Such  a  beautiful  creature  ! 
marked  in  every  resi)ect  like  a  trout  of  six  inches.  We  feasted  our 
eyes  upon  him  for  half  an  hour.  We  stretched  him  upon  the  ground 
and  admired  him  ;  wc  laid  him  across  a  log,  and  withdrew  a  few 
paces,  and  admired  him  ;  we  hung  him  against  the  shanty  and 
turned  our  heads  from  side  to  side,  as  women  do  when  they  are  se- 
lecting dress-goods,  the  belter  to  lake  in  the  full  force  of  the  elTect." 

It  is  still  possible  to  reach  Lake  Jacques  Cartier  by 
the  seventy-mile  clfive  from  Quebec,  through  Stone- 
ham,  described  in  the  deliciously  fragrant  little  book 
from  which  I  have  just  quoted.  But  portions  of  the 
road  are  rather  rough,  for  since  the  construction  of  the 
railway  to  Lake  St.  John  this  colonization  road,  which 
was  built  for  the  purpose  of  affording  its  inhabitants 
an  outlet  to  civilization,  has  become  practically  aban- 
doned, and  is  only  used  by  sportsmen.  It  crosses  sev- 
eral rivers,  and  touches  upon  a  number  of  lakes,  between 
Stoneham  and  Lake  Jacques  Cartier,  all  possessing 
splendid  attractions  for  anglers.  Prominent  among 
the  lakes  are  Noel's,  Traverse,  Lac  a  Regis,  Lac  a 
rfipaule,  Lac  des  Roches,  and  Lac  Sept  Isles.  Pot- 
hunters have  done  great  injury  to  some  of  the  lakes  most 
easily  reached  by  the  colonization  road.  For  many 
years  past  these  people  have  been  in  the  habit  of  visit- 


2.'54  OTIIKK    I'ISir    AM)    (JAMK 

\n<2;  tlioin  in  winter  by  tlio  dozen,  and  fisliinjj;  tlirou^h 
tlio  ice,  driving  back  to  market  with  as  heavy  loads 
of  trout  as  tlieir  liorses  could  (h-aw.  Now  all  this  has 
boon  stoppod.  Fisiiing  through  the  ico  for  trout  lias 
boon  entirely  jjrohibited  in  Canada,  and  llshing  of  any 
kind  in  the  Lake  Jacques  Cartier  country  can  only  bo 
indulged  in  by  holders  of  government  permits,  which 
must  be  obtained  from  the  supei'intendont  of  the  Lau- 
rentides  National  Park,  at  the  Parliament  House,  (Que- 
bec, from  whom  they  can  be  had  upon  ])ayment  of  a 
small  license  fee.  Neither  Lake  Jacques  Cartier  nor 
any  of  the  neighboring  waters  will  over  bo  leased  for 
angling  purposes,  for  they  are  enclosed  within  the  ter- 
ritory of  the  newly  established  Laurentides  National 
Park,  already  referred  to  in  the  chapter  entitled  "  In 
Camp  and  Canoe." 

For  the  maintenance  of  a  proper  water-supj^ly  the 
situation  of  the  park  has  been  admirably  chosen.  It 
contains  within  its  boundaries  the  main  water-shed  be- 
tween the  valleys  of  the  Saguenay  and  the  St.  Law- 
rence, and  the  various  heights  of  land  that  give  rise  to 
the  IVIetabetchouan  jind  La  Belle  Riviere,  ilowing  into 
Lake  St.  John  ;  the  Pikauba,  which  empties  into  Lake 
Kenogami ;  the  Chicoutimi,  A  Mars,  and  Ila  Ila  riv- 
ers, leading  tributaries  of  the  Saguenay ;  and  tlio  Mal- 
baie,  la  grande  riviere  of  St.  Ann  de  Beaupre,  the 
Montmorenci,  the  Jacques  Cartier,  the  St.  Anne  (de  la 
Perade),  and  the  southeast  branch  of  the  Batiscan,  all 
important  feeders  of  the  St.  Lawrence.  Almost  all  of 
these  rivers  and  the  lakes  that  they  drain  swarm  with 
the  largest  and  choicest  of  trout,  both  fontinalis  and 
Qiamaycush.     These  latter  are  often  erroneously  called 


OTIIKK    FI8H    /iNI)    OAMK  S55 

salmon  and  onananicho  by  somo  of  llio  settlers  on  tlio 
Jacques  C'artier  Kiver  in  Tewkeslmry.  Tliero  is  no 
reason  to  doubt  tliat  in  tbe  larger  lakes  of  the  park 
tlioy  may  attain  to  the  sumo  size  that  they  reach  in 
other  waters  in  tliis  i)rovinco,  where  they  have  been 
taken  up  to  thirty  and  even  forty  pounds  in  weight. 
^Ir.  Lefebvre,  of  the  C-rown  Lands  J)e|»artnuHit,  re- 
ports taking  the  true  red  trout  {Salino  fontiindiii)  up 
to  eight  and  three-(juarter  ])ounds  in  the  grand  lake 
ilac(iues  Cartier,  and  no  doubt  ten  and  twelve  pound 
lish  of  the  same  species  are  also  to  bo  had  there. 

It  will  be  matter  for  no  surprise  if  tho  newly  dis- 
covered Salnio  sahh'luiJis  Jftt/'f<tonii,  tho  most  beauti- 
ful of  all  American  or  Canadian  trouts,  should  bo 
found  to  bo  a  resident  of  some  of  the  waters  of  this 
park.  So  far,  it  is  known  to  exist  in  the  vicinity  of 
Templeton,  Ottawa  district,  as  well  as  in  somo  of  tho 
lakes  of  the  Lake  St.  .Fohn  district,  and  in  waters  in 
the  vicinity  of  Kimouski.  If  it  does  not  already  exist 
in  any  of  the  lakes  or  rivers  of  tho  Laurentides  Park, 
it  can  be  introduced  into  them  without  any  dilliculty. 

Tho  ouananicho  does  not  as  yet  inhabit  any  of  them, 
but,  like  tho  Mardonii  trout,  its  introduction  would 
bo  quite  an  easy  task.  Its  presence  there  would  add 
enormously  to  the  attractions  of  the  park  for  anglers. 
Portions  of  tho  Jacques  Cartier  liiver  and  of  other 
streams  in  tho  i)ark  are  admirably  adapted  for  a  hab- 
itat of  t\\Q 2^ctlt  mcinaon  of  Lake  St.  John. 

Lake  Jacques  Cartier  may  be  reached  by  an  entire- 
ly different  route  from  that  described  and  followed  by 
John  Burroughs.  A  drive  of  thirty  miles  from  Quebec 
in  a  different  direction — for  its  latter  half — from  that 


M6  OTIIKK    KISII    AM)   liAMK 

which  loads  to  tho  colonization  road  l)rin;,'s  th(»  angler 
to  I'ayard's,  and  three  (hiys'  paddling  and  poling  and 
])orlaging  th(;nco  up  the  .Iac(|iic'S  ('artier  Uivc^r  ona- 
!)!('  him  to  eover  the  distance  intervening  between 
IJayard's  and  the  i)ig  lake.  The  southern  limit  of  the 
JS'ational  Park  is  crossed  a  mile  or  two  ai)ove  I'liv- 
nrd's,  whicii  is  simply  one  of  the  last  farm-houses  seen 
before  civih/ation  is  left  behind.  Hen;,  u|)oti  prcs(inta- 
tion  of  tlu!  government  permit,  obtuincd  in  (juel)ec, 
to  tlie  guai'dian  on  duty,  guides,  canoes,  and  supplies 
can  l)e  obtained.  Upon  this  route  it  is  not  necessary 
to  ascend  to  tho  big  lake  in  order  to  have  good  sport. 
Twelve  miles  above  Bayard's  is  the  Sautoriski  River. 
At  various  points  along  tiiis  highly  ])icturesqp.e  stream, 
and  particuhirly  in  a  favored  pool  three  mik^s  from  its 
mouth,  lurk  beautiful  fls''  from  half  a  pound  to  three 
])ounds  and  a  half  each  in  weight,  and  doughty  var- 
I'iors  they  are,  too.  Mr.  Joseph  E.  Vincent,  to  whom 
I  am  indebted  for  the  photognqihic  views  of  the 
Jacques  Cartier  employed  in  some  of  the  accom- 
])anying  illustrations,  has  frequently  killed  half  a 
hundred  fine  llsh  here  in  a  morning's  or  an  evening's 
fishing. 

The  rapids  of  the  Jacques  Cartier  are  magnificently 
wild,  particularly  those  of  V Eau  Frappante^  le  Jienious 
Iiondt',  le.s  liajrides  da  Boulcaa,  the  Sautoriski  rapids, 
and  those  of  the  Grand  Portage.  In  a  pretty  pool 
between  the  Sautoriski  rapids  and  the  Little  Portage, 
in  one  of  the  last  days  of  September,  1895, 1  took  over 
three  dozen  trout  in  less  than  an  hour,  and  my  guides, 
Joe  Isabel  and  Jacques  Filion,  were  kept  pretty  busy 
with  the  landing-net. 


JACtiUES-CAUTIIiU   lUVHU  THOUT 


OTIIKIt    KIHII    AND    (lAMK  157 

Tlio  Hc'onory  of  tho  Ju('(|Uoh  Curtior  is  of  tlio  iiiott 
]>ictui'es(|UO  (lu8(;ri|)tion,aiul  tlieru  is  hciiuty  uiioiij^li  in 
tlu!  iiioiititiiiiis  wliicii  li(!iii  it  in  to  rociiU  tlio  ^I'andcm* 
of  tho  Sjigiu'nay.  Aiikui^  tlio  products  of  its  watj'i's,  of 
tliti  vuluo  of  wliioii  notliiii;;;  soonis  to  Im  known,  is  tlio 
frosli-wator,  poarl-boariii;;'  mussol,  wliioli  1  liavo  found 
iiero  an<l  olsowlioro  in  tlio  park  in  unusually  lai';;o 
(juantitios.  It  is  a  lanioltibranohiato  niolliisk,  known 
by  tlio  ;,a!n(!ric  nanio  of  f/nionidin  or  Mituulw^  oxaotly 
similar  to  those  which  have  produced  so  many  really 
valualilo  pearls  in  other  parts  of  tlu!  province. 

Of  tho  handsonio  colors  and  niarkin<^s  of  i[\{ifi>iitl- 
iKtlift  of  Canadian  waters  it  is  unnocossary  to  spc'ak  to 
those  who  liav(5  soon  them.  In  their  wihl  and  hilly 
northland  home  these  fish  are  never  found  infested 
uith  parasites  or  lice,  such  as  those  dosci'ihed  by  Wal- 
ton in  speaking  of  the  inmates  of  shig«iish  Kn<:;lish 
streams,  unless  it  bo  in  some  occasional  swampy  lake 
or  crook.  Tiio  trout  parasites  of  portions  \>l  tiie  United 
States  are  virtually  unknown  in  (,'anada.  Tho  n\\)\d 
waters  of  tho  (Quebec  and  Lal)ra<lor  streams,  and  the 
pcibbly  bottom  of  most  of  the  lake  and  river  bods, 
make  of  their  abode  a  perfect  tish  sanitarium.  The 
comparative  fi'eod(^m  from  molestation  of  these  trout, 
and  tho  ])ractically  unlimited  extent  of  the  waters 
which  the}'  roam,  iiavo  caused  them  to  so  increase  and 
multiply  and  replenish  the  waters  that  in  no  other 
part  of  the  world,  perhaps,  are  they  found  in  such 
ai)undanco.  Tiio  immense  breadth  and  depth  of  the 
hdves  and  rivers  that  they  inhabit,  and  their  enormous 
food  supply  in  the  shape  of  minnows  and  the  young 
of  chub  and  other  white  fish,  enable  them  to  attain  to 

17 


OTIIEK    FISH    AND   GAME 

an  immense  size.  And  the  exccedingl}'  low  teni])era- 
ture  of  the  water  in  these  high  hititudes  in(hices  them 
to  remain  longer  during  the  season  near  the  surface 
on  the  lookout  for  insect  life,  and  thus  inr^'ire  a  more 
]irolongetl  ])eriod  of  fl_y-fishing  than  can  be  had  in 
more  southern  watei'S.  These  are  some  of  the  attrac- 
tions that  the  Canadian  brook-trout  has  for  ximerican 
anglers.  The  late  Dr.  Lundy  as  long  ago  as  1880 
wrote  that  "old  Adirondack  anglers  now  go  to  Can- 
ada for  the  better  fishing  of  its  preserved  streams"; 
and  as  late  as  January,  1805,  no  less  patriotic  an 
American  and  noted  authority  upon  matters  pisca- 
torial than  Mr.  A.  N.  Cheney  wrote  in  Forest  and 
Stream:  "A  few  days  ago  I  lunched  at  a  club  in 
Albany,  and  afterwards  talked  lish  and  fishing  with 
friends  over  our  cigars,  and  I  was  surprised  to  hear  a 
gentleman  whose  interests  are  largely  in  the  Adiron- 
dacks  say  that  the  fishing  in  the  North  "Woods  was 
good  enough  for  those  who  liked  that  kind  of  fishing, 
but  now,  when  he  went  for  the  very  best  of  fishing, 
he  went  to  Canada."  In  view  of  such  unimpeachable 
American  testimony,  I  may  well  be  acquitted  of  any 
undue  preference  in  the  course  of  the  jiresent  work  for 
the  trout  and  ouananiche  fishing  of  northern  Canada. 
It  often  occurs  to  me  while  feasting  my  eyes  upon 
the  glories  of  a  freshly  \i.\\\QA  fonthialis  that  few  of  us, 
whether  Canadian  or  American  anglers,  appreciate  at 
its  full  value  the  splendor  of  this  incomparable  North 
American  fish,  "than  which,"  very  aptly  remarks  Mr. 
Kit  Clarke,  "  God  never  created  a  more  beautiful  ob- 
ject." I  was  strikingly  reminded  of  this  while  read- 
ing in  Blaclnoood^s  Magazine  for  August,  1893,  an  arti- 


OTHER    FISH    AND   GAME  259 

c)e  by  C.  Stein  upon  "  Fontinalis  in  Scotland."  The 
lish  described  by  Mr.  Stein  were  from  ova  obtained 
from  Seth  Green  in  1879,  and  were  transferred,  after 
hatching,  to  a  series  of  tarns,  which  have  no  connec- 
tion with  the  sea,  and  on  the  south  of  the  island  of 
Mull.  Tlie  average  weight  of  the  fish  was  said  to  be 
from  one-half  pound  to  a  pound,  though  several  Avere 
two  and  three  pountls  eacli,  and  one  of  seven  pounds 
weight  had  been  taken.  And  of  their  appearance  the 
autlior  says  :  "  IJut  the  greatest  deliglit  to  the  angler 
is  the  extreme  beauty  of  the  fish  when  they  first  come 
out  of  the  water.  Never  have  we  seen  such  gorgeous 
and  brilhant  coloring  in  any  linny  creature,  except 
perhaps  in  some  of  the  quaint  tropical  varieties  from 
the  Caribbean  Sea,  which  are  shown  to  the  traveller 
by  negro  fishermen  in  Jamaica.  No  purely  Uritish 
fish  can  boast  the  hues  which  deck  the /ontlnalisy 

After  this  just  and  glowing  tribute  to  the  handsome 
livery  of  the  American  brook -trout  I  w^as  scarcely 
prepared  for  the  following  attack  upon  his  game  (jual- 
ities :  "  He  seldom  rises  to  the  surface  to  suck  down 
the  artificial  lure,  though  he  rises  to  feed  on  the  nat- 
ural fly  like  other  fish.  No.  However  temptingly 
and  deftly  the  cast  may  be  made  over  him,  he  gener- 
ally waits  till  the  fiy  sinks  below  water  before  he  de- 
cides to  open  his  mouth,  and  then  he  does  so  quietly 
and  without  any  fuss,  so  much  so,  in  fact,  that  in  many 
instances  the  angler  does  not  know  that  he  has  at- 
tracted a  fish's  attention  until  he  is  withdrawing  his 
line  for  another  cast."  How  are  the  mighty  fallen 
if  the  above  extract  speaks  truly  of  the  deterioration 
oi  fontinalis  in  the  land  of  the  heather !    Every  Amer- 


860  0T1IE14   FISH    AND    GAME 

ican  and  Canadian  angler  knows  that  there  are  times 
Avhen  one  is  not  aware  that  he  has  attraeted  the  atten- 
tion of  a  brook-trout  until  he  is  withdrawinii'  his  line 
for  another  cast.  But  this  is  no  proof  of  the  absence 
of  game  qualities  on  the  ])art  of  the  fish.  Nor  does 
it  arise  from  the  fact  that  font  i  nulls  had  been  for  some 
time  previously  engaged  in  quietly  sucking  down  the 
fly.  No.  lie  is  no  poltroon  of  a  sucker,  but  a  game- 
ster from  start  to  finish.  From  his  lair  beneath  some 
lily -pad  or  under  the  shadow  of  an  overhanging  tree 
or  rock,  often  within  the  margin  of  heavy  rapids 
where  the  floods  clap  their  hands  in  frolicsome  glee, 
the  leopard  of  the  brook  has  had  his  attention  at- 
tracted by  some  peculiar  motion  of  a  somewhat  re- 
markable fly  at  or  near  the  surface  of  the  water,  which 
at  the  moment  that  it  makes  a  dart,  as  if  to  esca})e 
alike  from  his  observation  and  his  reach,  is  seized  by 
him  with  a  rush  that  for  velocity  excels  the  motion  of 
the  cast  as  it  is  withdrawn  from  the  water,  and  if  es- 
L;ential  to  success  is  not  infrequently  terminated  by  a 
leap  into  mid-air  and  on  to  the  apparently  vanishing 
hook.  Whatever  he  may  do  in  taking  bait,  the  brook- 
trout  in  his  native  home  can  never  be  accused  of  suck- 
ing down  the  artificial  fly  in  the  manner  described  by 
Mr.  Stein.  To  the  dry  fly-fisherman  and  to  many  an- 
other  angler  too  is  the  picture  a  most  familiar  one,  so 
admirably  ])ortrayed  in  water-colors  and  upon  canvas 
by  Mr.  Kilbourne  and  Mr.  Brack^tt,  of  a  shapely  and 
brilliant  crescent  of  olive  and  silver  and  crimson  and 
gold,  carrying  with  it  the  lure  picked  from  the  sur- 
face of  the  Avater  or  leaping  upon  it  with  open  mouth 
in  its  descent,  and  in  either  case  stimulating  a  corre- 


OTHER    FISn    AND   GAME  201 

sponding  throb  in  tlie  cardiac  region  of  tiic  angler's 
u'latomy,  followed  immediately  by  the  singing  of  the 
reel  and  by  tightest  tension  upon  lancewood  or  split 
bamboo.  Of  constant  occurrence  too,  even  ■when  tlio 
fly  is  taken  beneath  the  surface  of  the  water,  is  the 
splash  that  tells  of  the  daring  and  voracity  and  lusty 
warlike  qualities  of  North  America's  favorite  char, 
and  that  often  reveals  at  the  outset  of  the  battle  both 
the  form  and  the  size  of  the  fisherman's  gallant  foe- 
man.  AVhatever  he  may  do  under  changed  condi- 
tions, transferred  to  foreign  waters,  at  home  he  is  a 
valiant  foe,  a  stand-up  fighter,  as  it  were,  who  takes 
no  surface  lu"e  by  stealth,  not  even  from  below,  but 
flings  himself  boldly  into  the  contest,  generally  ex- 
poses himself  to  full  view  quite  early  in  the  fight,  and 
never  yields  an  inch  of  ground,  or  water,  or  line, 
until  compelled  by  sheer  exhaustion,  nor  is  finally 
conquered  until  he  has  exhausted  the  ^iiousand  and 
one  devices  of  his  plucky  persistence,  bold,  brave  bat- 
tling, and  finny  Jinesse.  This  \^  fontinalis  as  I  know 
him  and  esteem  him,  and  as  thousands  of  Canadian 
and  American  anglers  know  and  esteem  him,  too !  I 
have  taken  him  under  different  circumstances,  it  is 
true ;  when  flies  would  not  entice  him  to  the  warm 
surface  of  the  water  and  he  had  to  be  sought  with 
bait  in  deep,  cool  holes.  Upon  other  occasions  I  have 
sought  him,  like  many  another,  when  he  was  not  to  be 
found,  though  known  to  be  lurking  in  the  very  vicinity. 

"I  fished  all  day  and  caught — a  cold, 
And  just  at  night  I  had  a  bite — cold  ham  and  such. 
'Twas  not  for  naught  I  fishing  went, 
I  hooked  at  least  an  appetite." 


862  OTIIEK    FISH    AND    GAME 

And,  as  if  for  compensation,  there  are  times  and 
places  when  the  brook-trout  come  to  the  angler's  lures, 
and  sometimes  to  his  net,  at  the  rate  of  two  and  even 
three  at  a  single  cast.  Many  are  the  instances  within 
my  personal  knowledge  where  a  trout  has  been  played 
and  lost  and  has  returned  almost  immediately  to  the 
same  gay  deceit.  Often  has  the  last  state  of  such  fish 
been  worse  than  his  first,  and  a  recently  lost  hook  and 
broken  leader  been  found  in  the  mouth  of  a  freshly 
killed  specimen.  Fishing  not  long  ago  with  a  friend, 
one  on  either  side  of  a  narrow  stream,  we  were  fast  to 
fish  within  a  few  seconds  of  each  other.  It  was  not 
very  long  before  it  became  patent  that  we  had  both 
hooked  the  same  trout.  It  proved,  when  taken  out 
of  the  water,  to  be  a  fine  female  fish  of  about  half  a 
pound  in  weight.  The  flies  it  had  taken  had  been  a 
Professor  and  a  Brown  Hackle.  The  question  might 
have  occurred,  in  the  general  counting-up  of  our  fish, 
whose  should  she  be?  for  we  both  had  her  to  fight; 
but  my  friend  let  out  line  enough  for  me  to  lead 
the  fish  upon  a  gently  sloping  shoal,  and  we  divided 
its  well -fried  flakes  at  our  breakfast  a  half -hour 
later. 

Of  the  flies  employed  in  northern  Canada,  the  most 
taking  of  all  for  brook -trout  is  undoubtedly  the  Par- 
machenee  Belle.  Afterwards,  in  the  order  named,  I 
prefer  the  Professor,  Queen  of  the  AVater,  Jock  Scott, 
Silver  Doctor,  Brown  Hackle,  Coch-y-bondhu,  Beaver- 
kill,  Montreal,  Green  Drake,  and  Coachman.  The  list 
of  useful  trout  flies  can  of  course  be  indefinitely  in- 
creased, but  a  collection  that  will  include  specimens 
of  most  of  those  named  above  will  be  found  quite  suf- 


OTIIEK    FISH    AND   GAME  2013 

licient  for  the  angler's  purposes  upon  Canadian  trout 
waters. 

As  the  size  (^f  artificial  flies  is  a  much -discussed 
question  among  anglers,  the  following  remarks  on  the 
subject  by  the  late  Dr.  Lund}"-,  in  The  Saranao  Exiles, 
will  doubtless  prove  interesting  : 

"On  a  diirk  day,  iind  in  turbid  water,  I  hold,  with  Charles 
Kiugsley,  thiit  lute  lamented  prince  of  anglers  and  good  fellows, 
that  large  Hies  are  the  best.  The  larger  the  tly,  the  larger  the  fish. 
When  you  see  a  small  trout,  hardly  six  inches  long,  jump  far  out 
of  water  at  a  great  dragon  -  fly  or  darning  -  needle,  or  catch  one  of 
the  same  size  with  three  young  mice  in  his  stomach,  or  have  a  rush 
made,  in  a  turbulent  pool  below  a  waterfall,  at  bass  tlies,  it  is  use- 
less to  talk  about  gnats  and  other  small  tlies.  JJesides,  a  small  hook 
will  not  hold  a  large,  strong  fish ;  and  the  mouth  of  a  small  trout  is 
large  enough  to  take  in  a  salmon  lly  itself.  In  still,  clear  water 
small,  dark  flies  have  the  advantage  of  not  splashing  and  scaring 
the  flsh.  But  in  rapids,  or  any  troubled  water,  large  flies  are  the 
most  easily  seen  and  taken." 

My  own  experience  in  fishing  for  ouananiche  coin- 
cides with  that  given  above,  so  far  as  the  size  of  flies 
is  concerned,  particularly  in  the  spring  and  autumn 
months.  At  such  times,  and  in  heavy  water,  1  have 
always  been  most  successful  with  large  flies.  In  July 
and  August,  on  the  other  hand,  the  fresh-water  salmon, 
especially  in  the  pools  below  the  various  rapids  of  t'.e 
Grande  Decharge,  prefer  a  much  smaller  fly.  My 
experience  of  trout  has  been  that  they  differ  in  their 
habits  in  different  lakes  and  rivers  where  all  other 
conditions  seem  alike. 

I  cannot  quite  agree  with  Mr.  Lundy  that  "  a  small 
hook  will  not  hold  a  large,  strong  flsh,"  for  I  know  of 
an  eight -pound  ouananiche  having  been  brought  to 


204  OTHER    FISH    AND   OAMK 

gjifT  on  a  miinl)ci'  8  liook,  and,  in  fact,  if  anytiiinrj  liad 
been  broken  away  it  woukl  in  all  probability  liavo 
in'cn  tlio  lu'kl  portion  of  the  montb  ol'  tlio  fish  instead 
of  the  hook.  I  know,  of  course,  that  the  mouth  of  the 
trout  is  ver}^  much  tougher  than  that  of  the  ouana- 
niche,  and  that  sometimes  a  iieavy  fish  has  broken  a 
very  small  hook;  but,  on  the  other  hand,  every  success- 
ful angler  can  recall  the  killing  of  very  large  trout  on 
a  very  small  hook ;  generally,  of  course,  after  a  pro- 
tracted and — on  the  part  of  the  angler,  at  least — a 
carefully  and  thoughtfully  conducted  fight. 

All  trout  fishermen  know,  to  their  sorrow,  that  there 
are  times  when  the  flsh  rise  briskly,  but  "  not  in  ear- 
nest," and  in  this  connection  I  will  quote  a  couple  of 
extracts  from  an  article  in  The  National  Revicno,  un- 
der the  caption  "Do  Fish  Show  Temper?"  in  which 
there  is  anv  amount  of  food  for  reflection.  The  writer 
says : 

"A  lisli  inqiiisilivc  or  in  temper  is  undoubtedly  an  absurd  idea  at 
first  sight ;  but  the  absurdity  lessens  on  retlcction.  All  animals  of 
•vvliose  ways  we  have  intimate  knowledge  reveal  tlie  emotions  which 
tlie  fisherman  denies  to  fish.  For  example,  children,  lambs,  young 
tigers,  young  lions,  young  monkeys,  kittens,  and  puppy  dogs  rusli 
at  things  which  attract  their  eyes,  and  that  without  tiiought  of  eat- 
ing them ;  and  if  they  are  thwarted  or  injured  in  the  contact  they 
are  apt  to  rush  at  them  again  in  irritation.  If,  then,  we  take  it  for 
granted  that  fish  arc  incapable  of  curiosity  and  irritation,  we  are 
assuming  tiiat  the  minds  of  flsh  are  fundamentally  different  from 
those  of  all  living  creatures  with  whose  natures  we  are  familiar. 
That,  when  one  thinks  of  it,  would  be  an  assumption  so  great  as  to 
be  impossible  of  acceptance  until  it  had  been  justified  by  the  clear- 
est reasoning.  No  reasoning  whatsoever  can  be  offered  in  its  favor, 
and  some  can  be  offered  against  it.  We  have  no  authority  for  be- 
lieving that  the  mental  characteristics  of  fish  are  different  from  those 
of  animals  generally.    We  are  used  to  believing  this  ;  but  the  usage 


OTIIKR   FISH    AND   (iAMK  205 

is  uiiiiiU'Uigc'iit.  It  prohal)]}"  springs  from  tlio  scpanitiDii  nf  sjinpa- 
tliic'S  which  conios  from  our  living  in  an  'clcmont,'  other  tlian  tliat 
of  tlie  salmon  and  tiio  trout.  If  wo  were  nmpliibious,  we  shoulil 
liave  a  clearer  insight  into  their  ways,  and  jjerliaps  find  that  bolli 
fun  and  indignation  Inrk,  at  times,  under  tiie  saturnine  aspect  of 
their  visages.  .  .  .  !Many  an  e.xaspeniting  hour  have  all  of  us  spent 
with  fish  wiio  give  our  Hies  a  frequent  poke,  or  a  fretpient  nibble  at 
tiie  tails  of  them,  and  escape  '  untcmched.'  Many  a  time,  also,  have 
wc  found  them  rising  at  the  lly,  not  with  their  mouths,  but  witii 
tlieir  tails,  seeking  to  flick  them  under  the  surface  and  to  'drown' 
them,  to  all  appearnnce,  in  the  spirit  in  which  a  cat  plays  with  a 
mouse.  Th(!  analog}'  between  fish  and  other  creatures  in  the  mat- 
ter of  curiosity  and  gambolling  goes  even  furtiier.  It  may  have 
been  observed  that  it  was  the  young  of  tigers,  and  cats,  and  dogs, 
and  other  creatures,  that  we  spoke  of  as  given  to  playing  with 
things  that  attract  their  eyes;  not  the  elderly  animals  so  much. 
Well,  fish  are  in  exactly  the  same  case." 

From  across  the  Atlantic  there  comes  a  wail  whicli 
enlists  our  syni])athy,  caused  by  the  failure  of  our 
English  friends  to  acclimate  the  American  brook- 
trout.  Speaking  of  the  success  attained  with  other 
varieties  of  American  salmonida)  by  the  National 
Fish  Culture  Association  of  England,  W.  Oldham 
Chambers,  in.  a  paper  published  in  the  Journal  of 
that  association,  says : 

"It  is  with  reluctance  that  we  omit  from  this  list  the  American 
brook-trout,  Sithno  fontimiUfi,  which  has  hud  an  excellent  chance  of 
asserting  its  qualifications  for  introduction  into  our  group  of  sal- 
monidte,  but  has  failed  to  do  so,  except  in  confined  waters.  Its 
first  appearance  in  this  country  was  heralded  with  jubilant  antici- 
pations ;  its  capacities  for  rapid  growth  were  hailed  as  a  good  omen, 
and  its  gorgeous  dress  and  graceful  form  won  golden  opinions  from 
all  piscatorial  classes,  who  willingly  paid  large  sums  of  money  for 
what  was  then  considered  the  coming  trout.  Gradually,  however, 
its  true  character  appeared,  and  now  it  is  universally  regarded  as  a 
fish  not  to  be  depended  upon.     No  authority  rebuts  the  evidence 


260  OTIIKlt    KISir    AND   OAMK 

forthcoming iis  to  its  siiituhiiity  to  Uritisli  waters,  if  (Muloscd,  nor  as 
to  Its  viiliic  us  III!  addilioii  to  our  frt'sh-walcr  fish.  Tlio  Hole  cuuse, 
ami  a  ver)'  yravo  cause  it  is,  for  Its  denunciation  is  tliat  it  escapi's 
from  llmsc  placrs  wlicrc  it  is  lurnrd  in.  Mcforc  fhially  discnrdinjj: 
till"!  imifiuc  cliar,  it  IjclKto^cs  us  to  (luestion  more  closely  than  we 
have  yet  done  its  hahits,  instincts,  and  tin-  nature  of  its  native  home, 
in  order  to  render  it  full  justice.  l*rolmhly  the  waters  in  wliich  it 
liiis  l)een  placed  have  not  been  suitahle,  and  this  assumption  cer- 
tainly .""Cems  justitiahle  hy  the  fact  of  the  lisli  wanderiiii;  as  it  does. 
The  (pU'slion  naturally  arises  as  to  where  it  ^^oes.  Does  it  Ihid  suit- 
able places  in  its  wanderin>;s  ?  Docs  it  descend  to  the  sea,  or  does 
it  pine  and  perish  for  lack  of  natural  (;ondilions  ?  If  death  explains 
the  mystery,  whi(;h  is  hardly  likely,  we  have  at  once  a  solution  ; 
hut  if  not,  it  is  dilllcult  to  say  what  has  become  of  the  Ihousanils 
turned  out  into  our  English  streams.  In  America  tlie  broolc-trout 
is  regi'rde(l  as  a  hoineloving  fish,  therefore  it  seems  somewhat  likely 
that  we  have  not  j'et  provided  the  domestic  comforts  to  which  it  is 
hal>ituated.  The  suggestion,  at  least,  is  worth  studying,  and  the 
association  still  has  these  fish  under  cidture,  not  being  convinced  of 
their  \nisuitability  for  enclosed  waters." 

Tlie  results  already  referred  to  as  liaving  been  ob- 
tained in  the  tarns  upon  the  island  of  ]\Iull  go  far  to 
prove  the  suitability  oi  fontinalis  for  enclosed  British 
Avaters  of  the  requisite  temperature  and  purity.  ]3ut 
it  is  scarcely  surprising  to  those  acquainted  with  the 
habits  of  the  American  brook-trout  to  learn  that  he 
does  not  remain  in  waters  having  an  easy  and  unin- 
terrupted communication  with  the  sea.  I  know  of 
no  similarly  situated  Canadian  waters  in  which  he  is 
always  to  be  found.  But  it  has  been  shown  that  he 
reascends,  to  spawn,  the  Labrador  streams  down  which 
he  runs  to  sea.  And  it  is  perhaps  strange  that  he 
has  departed,  in  English  coastal  streams,  from  his 
Canadian  practice. 


OTMKU    FI8II    AND   (iAMK  207 

THE   COMMON   LAKE  TUOl'T 

SitlvdhivM  namai/nifi/i,  or  tlio  f^roat  luko-trout,  grows 
to  nil  onormoussizo  in  (^inadian  waters.  In  .lanuary, 
180'),  tlio  Hon.  .lolin  (-ostigan,  M.P.,  npon  his  ap- 
j^ointinont  as  ]\[inister  of  Marine  and  Fisheries  for  tho 
Dominion  of  Canada,  was  sent  a  present  in  tho  sliapo 
of  one  of  these  fish,  caj)tured  in  Lake  Superior,  that 
weighed  fifty-tlirec  pounds.  Another  specimen,  taken 
some  years  ago  in  Lake  Metis,  and  stull'ed  i)V  iMr.  ,J. 
U.  Gregory,  of  Quebec,  weighed  thirty -one  pounds 
when  caught.  It  is  on  exiiibition  in  tho  rotun(hi  of 
tlie  Chateau  Frontenac  at  Quebec,  whero  it  lias  be(Mi 
taken  for  a  sahnon,  on  account  of  its  size,  by  anglers 
devoid  of  experience  of  tho  larger  varieties  of  sal- 
^nonida^  The  namai/cush  grows  to  an  enormous  size 
in  Lake  St.  John,  as  well  as  in  Tschotagama,  Lac  a 
Jim,  Mistassini,  and,  in  fact,  in  nearly  all  the  lakes  of 
the  Labrador  peninsula.  By  French-Canadians  it  is 
known  both  as  the  touladi  and  the  queue  fourchee^ 
or  forked-tail  trout.  It  is  almost  invariably  captured 
in  deep,  cool  water,  and,  in  fact,  can  survive  in  no 
other  in  the  hot  summer  months.  Of  all  the  species 
of  Salvelinus  it  requires  a  habitat  of  lowest  tempera- 
ture. It  is  usually  taken  by  deep-water  trolling,  com- 
plete instructions  for  which  are  furnished  in  Shields's 
American  Game  Fishes^  by  Mr.  Luther  Pardee,  with 
descriptions  and  illustrations  of  the  gear  required,  and 
also  of  the  gangs  employed  by  both  Mr.  A.  N.  Cheney 
and  the  late  Mr.  Seth  Green.  It  is  sometimes  also 
taken  with  a  spoon  or  phantom  minnow.  The  Ind- 
ians in  the  interior  catch  it  for  food  upon  night-lines 


806  (tTMEIt    FIHII    AND    (i.VMK 

I 

l)jiit(»(l  with  tlio  flosli  of  tlio  clml)  <»r  of  the  whitofish. 
TluM'«!  arc!  Homo  ras(»s  upon  rocoi-d  wIuto  tho  iiminnf- 
ciikIi  lijis  tiikeii  tlio  lly,  liut  tliry  iiro  not  vory  tihimlt- 
ous,  for  ovon  in  tliis  nortlici'n  conntry  it  is  only  for  a 
vory  sliort  tinii?  after  tho  ico  liiis  h?ft  \\w  hikes  thiit  it 
roinains  near  tho  surface.  In  tho  month  of  May,  soino 
throo  or  four  years  a<^o,  however,  Mr.  Lacon  WcU-h.  of 
(^uehoc,  was  fortunate  cnou^Mi  to  thus  take  a  sixtoen- 
j)oun(l  specimen  in  Lake  St.  Charles  and  to  kill  it 
with  iiis  trout  rod.  Dr.  llcnchey,  one  of  his  anuiini^ 
companions,  noticed  at  some  distance  from  his  canoe 
tho  friy:htened  movement  of  a  shoal  of  small  (ish  dart- 
in<,^  from  tlie  surface  of  the  hike,  evidently  to  escape 
])ursuit,  and  drew  the  attention  of  Mr.  Welch  to  the 
fact.  Tiie  latter  had  scarcely  cast  ids  lly  over  the 
phice  when  it  was  taken  by  Mr.  Xamaycush  a  little 
below  tho  surface  of  the  water,  and  nearly  fifty  min- 
utes were  recjuired  to  brin<;  him  to  net.  A  twenty- 
])ound  specimen  caught  by  Mr.  AVarreii  Brings,  of 
Jlrid<>eport,  Conn. — an  exi)ert  fisherman — in  Lake  Kis- 
kisink,  was  sent  to  me  by  that  gentleman  in  the  spring 
of  ISi),'].  It  is  a  magnificent  fish  preserve,  this  Lake 
Kiskisink,  teeming  with  fontincilix^  namaijciish,  and 
(lore,  and  long  shall  I  remember  the  lusty  brook-trout, 
of  an  average  weight  of  a  pound  and  a  half,  that  I 
was  privileged  to  take  on  more  than  one  occasion 
with  m}'^  good  friends  the  ]\Iessrs.  AVallace,  of  Ansonia 
and  Chicago,  both  in  Briggs's  Pool  at  the  head  of  the 
lake  and  among  the  lily-pads  a  little  below  its  outlet. 
Only  on  the  Nomantum  Club  waters  have  I  seen  bet- 
ter catches  of  brook-trout  than  in  the  Kiskisink  pre- 
serve, and  they  Avere  made  by  a  party  of  skilled  an- 


OTIIKH   FISH    AM)   (iAMK 

^li'is.  including'  Afcssrs.  (Jeor^o  K.  IIiirt,<)f  Watcrbury; 
"NVallace  I)uraii(l,of  Nowark;  MiiuM-  Drake,  of  Tonin^^- 
ton,  Conn.,  ami  .1.  L.  Atwood  and  Charlos  Turner,  of 
Wat(;rl)urv. 

Hut  to  return  to  .SW/yv7//M^y  ntniuti/cush.  I  liavo 
Ix'l'oro  nio  a  letter  addressed  to  nio  from  AViiuiipo^ 
upon  llie  iikli  Septend)er,  lSl>i',  in  which  my  frieiul 
l.ieutenant-Colonel  Ila;^';.;ard  recounts  iiis  phenomenal 
success  with  the  lake-trout  in  Lake  Nepi^ou,  and  tiio 
amusing  story  of  the  Indians — how  they  employed 
their  teeth  in  aidin*;'  them  to  lift  the  heavy  lish  out  of 
the  water.    The  colonel  writes  : 

"I  liad  Vfiy  f^ootl  flsliiiii^  up  Uic  Ni-pl^'Mi  in  tlii;  licadwuttrs, 
both  III  tho  river  ut  Virgin  Fulls  iiiul  iu  the  luku,  au  far  as  thu  laku- 
trout  woro  concerned,  but  did  not  do  uuu.li  with  the  speckled  trout. 
The  lirgest  I  got  of  tho  latter  was  fdur  poniids  in  wcigiit.  As  far 
as  the  lake-trout  tlshing  goes  I  believe  I  had  a  phenomenal  day. 
On  a  shual  thiee  niiies  out  in  tlie  lako  I  got,  in  about  three  liours' 
tlshing,  QUO  hundred  and  forty-eight  pounds  uf  lake-trout.  The 
twn  liuj;ost  were  thirty-two  pouM<ls  and  tliirty  pounds  respective)}'. 
Tile  Intiians  with  nic  said  tiiey  were  the  two  largest  they  liud  ever 
known  cauglit  hy  a  while  man,  and  on  such  small  tackle,  too.  I 
c-uught  them  all  that  day  on  a  small  brown  phantom  ndunow  of 
C'iiinio's,  tliati  i)ought  wiicn  witii  you,  and  witli  a  single  gut  Icaih'r. 
Tlie  Indian  at  the  bow  of  my  canoe  could  not  get  liold  of  the  gills 
of  the  two  monster  trout  to  drag  them  in  when  wearied  out,  us 
they  kept  their  heads  down  and  they  were  very  long.  Consequent- 
ly lie  got  hold  of  the  tail  and  pulled  it  up  to  his  mouth,  caught 
bold  ut  the  roots  with  his  teeth,  then,  putting  his  arms  as  far  round 
the  slippery  body  of  tlie  ttsli  as  lie  coulil  reach,  dragged  these  two 
•whales  iu.  Tiie  weight  of  the  thirty-pounder  broke  olf  half  its  tail 
ill  tli(.'  man's  moulli  at  the  first  bite,  and  he  got  back  in  the  water 
again,  but  still  on  IIk;  hook.  Tlie  ne.\t  grip  was  more  sucfessiul,  as 
he  bit  lower  down." 

By  the  Montagnais  Indians  the  lake-trout  is  nnowa 


970  OTUEK   FISH    AND   GAME 

as  kokomesh,  and  by  the  Micmacs  and  Abenaquis  as 
touladi.  Its  scientific  name,  namaijcush,  is  that  ap- 
plied to  it  by  the  Nepigon  Indians. 


THE  NEW  MARSTON  TROUT 

Canadian  anglers  are  quite  enthusiastic  over  recent 
piscatorial  discoveries  showing  the  wide  geographical 
distribution  of  the  newly  discovered  trout  known  to 
readers  of  ichthyological  literature  as  Salmo  sali'eli- 
nus  Marstonii,  Until  the  autumn  of  1895  the  exist- 
ence of  this  variety  was  only  known  to  science  by  the 
appearance  of  a  couple  of  specimens.  Tlie  first  of 
tliese  attracted  the  attention  of  Mr.  J.  G.  A.  Creighton, 
of  Ottawa,  two  years  ago.  It  was  taken  in  a  lake 
near  Ottawa,  and  was  sent  by  him  to  Mr.  A.  X.  Cheney, 
of  Glens  Falls,  N.  Y.,  the  present  State  Fish  Culturist, 
who  forwarded  it  to  Professor  Agassiz's  successor  at 
Cambridge,  Mass.,  Professor  S.  Garman,  of  the  Museum 
of  Comparative  Zoolog}^,  for  examination  and  identi- 
fication. He  declared  it  to  be  a  distinct  and  newly 
discovered  species,  and  it  was  called  the  MavHtonli  at 
the  suggestion  of  Mr.  Cheney,  who,  being  requested  to 
name  it,  said :  "  Call  it  after  Mr.  Marston,  founder  of 
the  Fly-fishers'  Club  of  London,  and  editor  of  the  Fish- 
ing Gazette^  an  Englishman  overflowing  with  good 
feeling  for  everytliing  pertaining  to  fish,  fishing,  and 
America."' 

About  a  year  ago  another  specimen,  caught  in  one 
of  the  lakes  of  the  Laurentides  Club  in  the  Lake  St. 
John  district,  was  sent  by  me  to  Professor  Garmati, 
who  declared  it  also  to  be  one  of  the  Marston  variety. 


OTHER   F18U   AND    GAME  271 

There  is  some  little  uncertainty  as  to  the  exact  water 
from  which  this  ilsh  was  taken,  owing  to  confusion  f»i 
nomenclature,  but  Judge  I'anet  Angers,  Q.  C,  who  ob- 
tained from  a  habitant  guide  the  specimen  that  he 
gave  me,  has  frequently  taken  the  same  fish  in  Lao 
des  lies ;  and  as  this  territory  becomes  better  known, 
much  more  will  doubtless  be  learned  as  to  the  geo- 
graphical distribution  of  the  fish.  Large  numbers  of 
a  very  similar  fish,  so  like  it  in  external  appearance 
that  it  never  occurred  to  me  to  doubt  that  they  might 
in  fact  be  the  true  Marstonii  trout,  have  recently  been 
discovered  in  some  of  the  Rimouski  series  of  lakes 
upon  the  south  shore  of  the  St.  Lawrence,  and  Mr. 
John  Jordan,  of  Quebec,  was  kind  enough  to  procure 
me  specimens  through  Mr.  Hurley. 

I  cannot  better  describe  these  beautiful  creatures 
than  by  borrowing,  with  a  few  verbal  changes,  the 
words  employed  in  November,  1895,  in  writing  of  them, 
with  the  fish  lying  before  me,  for  Forest  and  Stream: 

"  It  was  recently  my  privilege  to  feast  my  ej'es  upon  a  number  of 
specimens  of  this  newest  and  most  beautiful  of  Canadian  chars, 
which  were  taken  (by  special  permit,  for  scientific  purposes)  from 
one  of  a  series  of  lakes  in  Rimouski  County  locally  known  as  Lac  3, 
Cassette.  I  call  the  Marston  trout  advisedly  a  char,  recalling  the 
fact  that  the  word  '  char  '  comes  from  the  Gaelic  ccam  (blood)  and  the 
Irish  cear  (red  or  blood-colored),  which  are  almost  synonymous  with 
the  more  western  torrjoch  (red-bellied).  And  certainly  the  new  trout 
is  the  most  brilliantly  blood-colored  of  any  non-tropical  fish  that  I 
am  acquainted  with.  In  the  words  of  Professor  S.  Garman,  who 
first  identified  Salrelitins  Marstonii  as  a  variety  new  to  science,  who 
asked  Mr.  A.  N.  Cheney  to  name  it,  and  who  examined  last  j'ear  a 
single  specimen  that  I  was  able  to  procure  for  him  from  a  lake  be- 
tween Quebec  and  Lake  St.  John  :  '  Some  artist  Avith  his  pencil 
will  delight  everybody  interested  in  the  fishes  if  he  will  give  the 


272  OTHER   FISH    AND    GAME 

public  a  few  ideas  of  the  splendid  colors,  drawn  from  life,  of  the 
mule  of  ^larston's  namesake.'  The  Hiniouski  specimens  that  I  was 
recently  privileged  to  see  lack  none  of  the  radiant  beauty  and  brill- 
iaucy  of  coloring  of  the  flsli  that  I  sent  to  Professor  Garman  at  the 
3Iuseum  of  Comparative  ZoOlogy  at  Cambridge,  Mass.  In  fact, 
])erhaps  because  it  is  nearer  their  spawning-season,  the  llimouski 
lish  that  were  shown  me  early  this  month  more  nearly  approached 
in  the  coh)ring  of  tlieir  Hesh  tlnit  of  the  red  snapper  than  did  tluit 
of  any  specimens  that  I  had  previously  seen.  Held  before  a  bright 
light,  the  thinner  portions  of  the  flsh  adjoining  the  ventral,  anal, 
and  caudal  tins  are  of  deepest  salmon.  Its  unvermiculated,  dark- 
brown  back  with  its  bluish  tinge  sliades  into  russet  and  green  on 
the  sides,  deepening  as  it  descends  with  a  soup^on  of  crimson, 
which  latter  color  increases  in  intensity  and  depth  until  it  be- 
comes upon  the  belly  a  brilliant  red,  in  some  specimens  more  scar- 
let than  crimson,  while  among  the  varied  colored  spots  of  this  be- 
witchingly  beautiful  leopard  of  Northern  water  are  some  of  deepest 
orange  with  a  crimson  centre.  The  colors  fade  somewhat  after 
death,  but  even  after  shipment  of  the  lish  to  Quebec,  a  distance  of 
nearly  two  hundrcJ  miles,  are  beautiful  beyond  compare. 

"I  am  told  by  those  who  have  fished  in  the  south  shore  lakes 
where  Mr.  Marston's  namesake  is  found  that  it  is  held  in  no  great 
esteem  by  the  residents  of  the  vicinity  who  act  as  guides  upon 
these  watfirs.  With  them  flsh  is  only  food,  and  food  is  chiefly  fish. 
Quantity  is  more  than  quality,  and  with  such  enormous  specimens 
of  thick,  deej)  fontinalis  as  there  abound,  they  regard  with  some- 
thing like  contempt  the  rapid  rush  towards  the  surface  lure  of 
what  they  call  the  dare  of  those  lakes.  This  name  appliinl  to  these 
trout  can  only  be  accounted  for  by  the  golden  yellow  of  a  portion 
of  its  sides.  Tiie  fish  is  of  course  no  more  like  the  true  dore  of 
Canadian  waters  {StizoHtedion  vitrcuin) — the  pickerel  of  Upper  Can- 
ada and  elsewhere,  and  pike-perch  or  wall-eyed  pike  of  different 
parts  of  the  United  States — than  the  latter  resembles  the  John 
Dory  of  South  British  and  Mediterranean  seas  —  the  much  -  prized 
Zeusfdber  of  the  ancients.  The  only  points  of  outward  similarity 
between  these  last  two  are  the  hard,  bony  spines  of  the  first  dorsal 
and  the  outer  coloring,  including  sometimes  the  dark  spot  on  the 
shoulders,  supposed  to  correspond  with  the  finger-mark  of  St.  Peter, 
which  has  caused  the  '  John  '  to  share  with  the  haddock  the  honored 


OTHER   FISH    AND   GAME  278 

myth  of  having  been  tlic  flsli  from  wliose  month  tlio  tiil)iUo-money 
was  taken.  No  doubt  tho  familiar  li^iijilisli  name  of  tlie  aoantliop- 
terygian  fish  is  merely  a  corruption,  as  vulgarly  supposed,  of  the 
French  jaune  doree,  applied  because  of  its  golden-yellow  color.  The 
early  French  settlers  of  Canada  fioni  the  fishing  coasts  of  Brittany 
must  have  been  well  acquainted  with  tlie  English  John  Dory,  and 
as  color,  next  after  size,  would  be  the  most  attractive  feature  to 
tlK'Ti  of  a  new  fish,  it  is  pretty  certain  that  they  gave  the  Canadian 
(tore  its  name  for  no  other  reason  than  its  resemblance  in  color  to 
the  European  fish  from  which  it  differs  so  materially  in  most 
other  respects. 

"  It  has  been  hitherto  supposed  that  the  Mnrstonii  trout  were  only 
bottom  feeders,  but  their  discovery  in  the  Rimouski  lakes  and  the 
method  of  their  capture  deal  a  death  blow  to  the  theory  that  they 
will  not  rise  to  the  fly,  and  place  them  beyond  any  question  among 
the  first  game  flslies  of  the  American  continent.  It  is  probable  that 
they  are  not  to  be  taken  by  fly-fishing  in  summer,  nor  am  I  aware 
that  until  the  present  season  it  was  known  to  fly -fishermen  that 
they  would  rise  even  in  the  fall  of  the  year  to  their  gay  deceit.  This 
is  now  established  beyond  peradventure  by  inembers  of  the  club 
controlling  the  fishing  of  these  Rimouski  lakes.  When  the  Mar- 
stou  trout  takes  the  fly,  it  does  not  spring  from  almost  inunediately 
below  it,  as  the  brook-trout  seems  to  do,  but  rushes  at  it  with  a 
rapid  dart,  often  for  some  distance  along  the  top  of  the  water,  like 
the  run  of  a  hooked  salmon,  leaving  a  swirl  behind  it  resembling 
the  wash  of  a  small  narrow  boat.  It  leaps  repeatedly  out  of  the 
water  when  hooked  and  makes  a  desperate  flglit,  its  rapid  motions 
being  apparently  due  to  its  slender  shape  and  graceful  form.  A 
pound  fish  of  this  variety  is  nearly  a  third  longer  than  a  brook- 
trout  of  the  same  weight  in  good  condition,  but  not  more  than  half 
the  circumference.  From  what  1  can  learn  of  its  methods  of  fight- 
ing when  impaled  upon  a  fly -hook,  it  must  come  nearer  to  the 
ouananiche  than  anj'  other  Canadian  fish  in  the  sport  that  it  affords. 
Like  that  silvery  monarch  of  rapid  waters  which  it  resembles  in 
outer  form  mucli  more  than  it  does  its  nearer  ve\&i\YG,  fontinnlis,  it 
seems  constructed  for  about  the  greatest  velocity  attainable  by  fish 
of  its  size. 

"  Salvelimis  Mnrstonii  spawns  later  in  tlie  season  than  the  Ameri- 
can brook-trout.     Opportunities  for  observation  have  not  thus  far 

18 


274  OTUElt    FISH    AND   GAME 

been  very  fibumlaiit,  but  it  is  likely  that  it  only  ppiiwns  in  Decem- 
ber or  January.  It  is  found  in  October  and  November,  however, 
upon  the  spawning-beds  of  the  brook-trout  or  in  their  immediate 
vicinity,  and  lience  perhaps  tlie  report  tliat  it  frequents  them  to  de- 
vour tlic  spawn.  Whether  tlie  tongue  of  slander  luis  been  raised 
against  it  in  this  respect,  or  whether  there  be  trutli  in  the  grave 
charges  so  brouglit  against  tlds  handsome  fish,  the  question  of  its 
spawn-eating  qualities  ought  to  be  definitely  settled  before  it  is  in- 
troduced into  waters  already  inhabited  by  fontinalis.  There  is 
at  least  this  in  its  favor,  that  it  is  found  at  Ilimouski  in  lakes 
that  contain  vast  quantities  of  brook  trout,  so  that  it  is  altogether 
likely  that  it  is  the  victim  of  misrepresentation." 

Unfortunately,  it  is  impossible  at  present  writing  to 
declare  positively  that  these  Rimouski  fish  are  quite 
identical  with  the  Marston  variety,  as  I  had  assumed 
that  they  were  from  an  external  examination  of  the 
specimens  sent  me.  Professor  Garman,  to  whom  I  for- 
warded them,  while  admitting  the  close  relationship, 
found  some  distinctions,  the  value  of  which,  for  want 
of  specimens  of  both  sexes,  he  is  so  far  unable  to  ap- 
preciate. These  differences  may  prove  to  be  unim- 
portant, or  they  may  lead  the  Eimouski  fish  to  be  re- 
garded as  a  new  variety.  "Whether  they  be  Ifarstonii 
or  otherwise,  it  is  positive  that  Mr.  Marston's  name- 
sake is  an  occupant  of  Lac  des  lies,  and  probably  also 
of  other  waters  in  the  Canadian  environment  of  the 
ouananiche.  So  far,  I  have  not  heard  of  it  being  taken 
with  the  fly  in  Northern  waters,  as  in  Lac  a  Cassette, 
but  this  ma}'^  be  owing  to  the  fact  that  it  has  not  been 
tempted  with  surface  lures  at  the  proper  season. 
Much  has  yet  to  be  learned  of  the  denizens  of  the 
waters  in  the  Lake  St.  John  region,  and  it  will  not 
surprise  thoughtful  men  to  learn  at  any  time  of  the  dis- 


OTHER   FISH   AND  GAME  275 

covery  in  some  of  them  of  species  of  trout  of  ihe  Ilud- 
son  Bay  region.  As  Professor  Garman  says  in  a  re- 
cent letter,  "  We  must  loolc  out  for  S.  aljnnns  in  the 
St.  Lawrence  basin  nowadays."  This  reference  is  to 
the  magnificent,  introduced  saibUng  of  Sunapee  Lalve, 
so  admirably  described  for  us  by  Professor  Quacken- 
bos  and  Mr.  A.  N.  Cheney. 

Many  anglers  and  ichthyologists  will  no  doubt  be 
glad  to  have  the  result  of  Professor  Garman's  exam- 
ination of  the  new  Canadian  trout.     Here  it  is  : 

"  Salmo  (salvelinns)  Marstonii,  sp.  n. 
"B.,  11  to  13;  D.,13;  A.,  13;  V.,9;  P.,  14. 

"The  specimen  described  is  close  upon  13  inches  long.  Body 
subfusiforrn,  pointed  at  the  snout,  slender  at  the  tail.  The  height 
of  the  body  is  about  one-sixth  of  the  total  length  ;  head  one-flflh, 
crown  convex.  Snout  one  and  one  -  third,  and  interorbital  space 
one  and  one-half  times  the  eye.  Eye  little  less  than  one-flfth  of  the 
head,  two-thirds  of  the  space  between  the  orbits  on  the  forehead. 
Mouth  large  ;  maxillary  straight,  reaching  almost  as  far  back  as 
tl'.e  hinder  edge  of  the  eye,  with  strong  teeth  along  its  lower 
edge  nearly  its  entire  length  ;  teeth  on  intermaxillary  and  mandi- 
bles stronger.  A  series  of  four  strong  hooked  teeth  at  each  side  of 
the  tongue  and  behind  the  glossohyal,  on  the  basibranchiuls,  a  nar- 
row band  of  several  series  of  smaller  ones.  Gill  rakers  straight, 
short,  sharp,  denticulate,  8x14  on  the  first  arch.  Opercle  thin, 
with  few  striffi.  Scales  very  small  ;  apparently  there  are  about 
230  in  the  series  immediately  above  the  lateral  line,  and  more  than 
250  in  one  five  or  six  scales  above  this.  Distance  from  first  ray  of 
dorsal  to  end  of  snout  little  more  than  that  from  the  same  ray  to 
the  tip  of  the  adipose  fin.  The  middle  of  the  total  length  falls  half 
•way  between  the  tip  of  the  hinder  rays  of  the  dorsal  and  its  base. 
Dorsal  and  anal  fins  slightly  emarginate  at  ends  of  median  rays. 

"  Pectorals  and  ventrals  small ;  base  of  latter  sliglitly  behind  the 
middle  of  that  of  dorsal.    Caudal  pedicel  slender  ;  caudal  notch 


270  OTHER   FISH    AND   GAME 

very  deep  ;  hinder  border  sinuous,  ns  in  S.  nlpinvs ;  lobes  pointed. 
Excepting  8,  namaycuah,  the  notcli  is  deeper  tlmii  in  any  otlier  of 
tlie  American  species. 

"  Baeii  diirii  brown,  witli  an  iridescent  bluish  tint;  unspotted. 
Dorsal  dark,  clouded  somewhat,  but  without  spots  or  bands.  Pec- 
torals, anal,  and  ventrals  orange  in  the  middle,  yellowish  or  whitish 
towards  their  bases  and  margins.  The  dark  color  of  the  back 
shades  into  whitish,  with  a  tinge  of  pink  below  the  lateral  line. 
Head  black  on  top,  silvery  on  the  cheeks,  white  beneath.  Ventral 
surface  white,  no  doubt  red  in  breeding-season.  Flesh  pink.  Cau- 
dal fin  yellowish  towards  the  base,  brownish  or  darker  towards  the 
binder  border,  which  has  a  narrow  edging  of  light  color.  Faint 
areas  of  lighter  tint  suggest  that  there  may  have  been  a  few  spots 
of  reddish  or  yellowish  along  the  lateral  line  on  one  of  the  speci- 
mens ;  but  the  condition  is  such  that  the  matter  must  remain  in 
question,  likewise  the  number  of  cflcca,  and  the  presence  of  parr- 
bands,  of  which  there  are  several  very  faint  indications. 

"This  fish  evidently  is  closely  allied  to  Snlmo  oqxtassa,  the  blue- 
back  of  tlie  Rangeley  Lakes  ;  it  reaches  a  greater  size  than  that  spe- 
cies, and  is  readily  distinguished  by  the  maxillary  and  its  dentition, 
the  caudal  fin  and  the  coloration.  Similarly  when  compared  Avith 
S.  stagnalis  and  S.  rossi  it  is  seen  to  be  quite  distinct.  With  the  in- 
troduced saibling,  8.  alpinus,  of  the  Sunapee  Lake  it  has  still  less  in 
common." 

THE  OUITOUCHE,    OR  CHUB 

A  frequent  cause  of  annoyance  to  the  persistent 
trout  fisherman  in  Canadian  waters  is  the  "taking" 
qualities  of  the  common  American  chub,  which  is  met 
with  in  the  great  majority  of  them.  Not  that  it  is 
here  a  fish  devoid  of  those  qualities  that  warranted 
Professor  G.  Brown  Goode  in  according  it  a  place  in 
his  popular  treatise  upon  The  Game  and  Food  Fishes 
of  North  America,iov,  in  its  Canadian  habitat,  it  at- 
tains to  a  weight  of  six  pounds,  rises  freely  to  the 
fly,  and  fights  like  a  Trojan  when  hooked ;  while  the 


OTHER    FI8II   AND   GAME  277 

sweet,  cold  water  of  these  high  latitudes  well  main- 
tains whatever  degree  of  firmness  and  flavor  may  be 
claimed  for  its  flesh.  Some  of  the  ui)per  lakes  which 
are  emptied  into  the  Bastican  and  other  largo  inland 
streams" are  entirely  free  from  chub,  wliicli  are  barred 
from  ascending  them  by  intervening  falls;  but,  again, 
I  have  marked  their  existence  in  watei's  fully  as  high 
above  the  sea-level  as  those  of  the  Batiscan,  both  in 
feeders  of  the  Kiskisink  lakes,  and  at  various  points 
of  the  Peribonca  River  between  Lakes  St.  John  and 
Tschotagama.  Here,  however,  its  increase  is  some- 
what regulated  by  its  large  consumption  as  food  by 
the  ever  hungry  specimens  of  that  water- wolf,  the 
pike,  that  in  these  waters  attain  to  so  enormous  a 
size.  These  chub,  often  erroneously  called  gudgeon 
by  both  American  and  Canadian  anglers,  are  known 
to  the  French-Canadian  and  Indian  guides  hereabouts 
as  ouitouche  /  they  are  usually  cast  away  with  disgust 
by  the  angler  whose  hook  has  imy-aled  them.  It  is 
one  of  the  most  shapely  of  the  cyprmoids,  resembling 
very  much  in  form  the  fall  fish  or  silver  chub  of  On- 
tario and  the  Northern  States  {Seiaotllus  hullarls).  It 
seizes  bait  of  all  kinds,  including  portions  of  the  flesh 
of  its  ow^n  species,  with  avidity.  It  greedily  takes  all 
kinds  of  natural  and  artificial  flies  alike,  but  seldom 
leaping  out  of  the  water,  like  the  trout,  to  carry  the 
lure  down  with  it.  Though  fairly  active  in  pursuit 
of  its  food,  it  is  not  nearly  so  much  so  as  the  trout,  its 
method  of  taking  it  being  more  hke  a  nibble  than  a 
rush.  It  seldom  succeeds  in  hooking  itself  upon  a 
a  cast  with  which  a  pool  or  rapid  is  being  whipped  for 
trout  in  a  becomingly  active  and  lively  manner,  and 


878  OTUER    FI8II    AND   GAME 

constant  exertion  and  watchfulness  will  often  enable 
tho  an;^lei'  to  avoid  having  his  Hies  made  fast  to 
ouitouc/ie.  liut  if  ho  carelessly  allows  them  to  sink 
beneath  the  surface  where  these  iish  abound,  or  to  re- 
main stationary  upon  tho  margin  of  a  rapid,  a  slow, 
steady  tug  will  soon  tell  him  that  a*  oultouclie  has 
hooked  himself  upon  his  lino.  Thouii^h  he  is  excluded 
from  Mr.  Shields's  book  of  Avierican  Game  Fishes,  yet 
as  soon  as  he  finds  himself  impaled  on  the  fisherman's 
hook  he  commences  a  thoroughly  game  light  for  free- 
dom, tugging  continuously  at  the  line,  and  occasion- 
ally, if  a  largo  fish,  demanding  more  of  it.  His  battle 
is  shorter  and  less  exciting  than  that  of  a  trout,  and 
he  seldom  breaks  water.  But  in  his  own  way  he  is  a 
game  fish  for  all  that,  though  he  has  the  misfortune  to 
invite  comparisons  fnost  unfavorable  to  him,  by  thrust- 
ing himself,  unsolicited  and  unsought,  into  the  society 
of  his  betters,  and  even  presuming,  when  hitching  him- 
self upon  the  angler's  line,  to  pair  himself  off  in  an  ill- 
assorted  match  with  Salmo  salvelinus.  The  English 
chub  {Ct/jjrinus  cejphalns),  a  very  near  connection  of 
the  ouitouche,  is  much  esteemed  as  a  game  fish,  and 
several  treatises  have  been  written  u])on  it.  On  ac- 
count of  its  shyness,  Piscator,  it  will  be  remembered, 
speaks  of  it  as  "  the  fearfulest  of  fisiies,"  and  I  well 
remember  how,  as  a  boy,  hour  after  hour  was  often 
vainly  spent  by  me  upon  the  banks  of  the  Penk,  a 
tributary  of  the  Trent,  endeavoring  to  seduce  the 
chub  from  its  clear  pools  with  gentles,  worms,  and 
paste.     In  those  da3's  it  was  indeed  a  prize  to  catch  a 

*  Ouitouche  is  pronounced  "  wc-toosh." 


OTIIEK    FISH    AND    GAME  979 

cliub.  But  tlion  they  were  luird  to  catch.  And  tliere 
were  no  trout  in  those  waters,  and  even  perch  and 
"dachlyruirs"  were  scarce. 

Taken  from  cool  water  the  flesh  of  the  ouitouche 
makes  i)l(uisant  enou<,di  eatin<^  when  well  and  freshly 
cooked.  If  it  is  seldom  used  for  food  in  Canada,  it  is 
because  where  it  is  found  there  is  an  abundance  of 
much  hotter  lish.  J>oth  the  small  onitouehe  and  the 
white  Mesh  of  adult  si)ecimens,  cut  into  s(][uares,  make 
good  l)ait  for  ouananiche,  pike,  pickerel,  touladi  or 
namaycush,  and  brook-tiout.  It  is  tiie  favorite  bait  of 
Indian  hunters  in  Canada. 

What  a  life-like  ])icture  of  the  chub  has  Canon. 
Kingsley  drawn  for  us ! 

"Wliat  Is  liere  ?  An  ugly  two-pound  chul),  Chcvin,  'Echcvin,' 
or  Akleriuiiii,  us  the  Fioiicli  cull  him.  How  is  this,  keeper?  1 
thought  you  iillowcil  no  such  vermin  in  this  wiiter  ?  Tlie  keeper 
answers,  with  a  grunt,  that  'they  allow  themselves';  that  'there 
always  were  chub  hereabouts,  and  always  will  be  ;  for  the  more 
I  take  out  with  the  net,  the  more  come  next  day.'  Probably. 
No  nets  will  exterminate  these  spawn-eating,  fry-eating  pests,  who 
devour  the  little  trout  and  starve  the  large  ones,  and,  at  the  first 
sign  of  the  net,  fly  to  hover  among  the  most  tangled  roots.  There 
they  lie,  as  close  a.'i  rats  in  a  bank.  .  .  .  lUit  the  fly,  well  used,  will 
— if  not  exterminate  tliem — still  thin  them  down  greatly  ;  and  very 
good  sport  they  give,  in  my  opinion,  in  spite  of  the  contempt  in 
which  they  are  commonly  held,  as  chicken-hearted  fish,  who  show 
no  fight.  True  ;  but  their  very  cowardice  makes  them  the  more 
difficult  to  catch.  .  .  .  Another  slur  upon  the  noble  sport  of  chub 
fishing  is  the  fact  of  his  not  being  worth  eating — a  fact  which,  in 
the  true  sportsman's  eyes,  will  go  for  nothing.  But  though  the 
man  who  can  liuy  fresh  soles  and  salmon  may  despise  chub,  there 
are  those  who  do  not.  True,  you  may  make  a  most  accurate  imi- 
tation of  him  by  taking  one  of  Palmer's  patent  candles,  wick  and 
all,  stuffing  it  with  needles  and  split  bristles,  and  then  stewing  the 


2H0  OTUEU    FISH   AND   CJAMK 

mimo  in  ditcliwatiT.  NcvortlicloHs,  Nlrimji;(!  fo  miy,  the  iiKri^'nHuriil 
Hlninacli  (lijL[(!stH  cliuh ;  uiid  if  after  Iriviiiu;  IliU'il  your  creel,  t)r 
llirue  creels  (iiH  you  limy  too  often),  with  lljom,  you  will  distribute 
them  on  your  way  honi"!  to  all  the  old  women  you  meet,  you  will 
nmke  luiiiiy  poor  houIu  happy,  after  having  saved  the  lives  of  many 
trout." 

Tlio  tender  regard  for  the  lives  of  tlio  trout  and  the 
tastes  of  the  old  women  exhibited  in  the  last  two 
lines  of  the  above  extract  are  worthy  of  I/aak  Wal- 
ton at  his  best,  following  so  closely  as  tln^y  do  upon 
the  author's  appetizing  description  of  cooked  clmb — 
wick,  candle,  needles,  bristles,  ditch-water  and  all ! 

Nuisance  as  they  i)rove  themselves  to  the  angler 
when  rising  to  his  trout  flies,  these  Canadian  oaltonche 
are  neither  as  cowardly  in  their  fight  nor  as  repulsive 
upon  the  table  as  their  congener  from  the  compara- 
tively still,  warm  water  of  English  streams.  The  o^ii- 
touche  is  a  more  athletic  lish,  and  the  rapid,  cool  water 
of  its  Canadian  home  gives  some  small  measure  of 
firmness  and  sweetness  to  its  llesli. 

THE  WIIITEFISII 

Highly  esteemed  as  an  article  of  commerce,  the 
common  whitefisli  of  North  American  waters  is  not 
much  prized  by  anglers,  and,  in  fact,  is  rarely  taken 
except  in  nets.  Professor  Goode  remarks  that  none 
of  the  American  species  are  of  any  importance  to  the 
angler,  and  of  those  that  inhabit  the  great  lakes  this 
is  undoubtedly  true.  But  the  same  fish  in  higher  lati- 
tudes, where  the  temperature  of  the  water  is  found  so 
much  lower,  remains  longer  near  the  surface  of  the 
lakes  in  which  it  is  found.     In  the  notes  of  Mr.  A.  P. 


OTHER    KI81I    AM)   (iAMIO  281 

Low,  the  Lilbrjulor  oxploror,  which  apprar  in  tho 
chaptor  upon  tlio  "(ioo^raphi(3al  Distrihution  of  tlio 
Ouananiche,"  tho  writer  tells  iiow  he  cuii^ht  tho  great 
Northern  whitellsh  with  tho  May-lly  in  inland  waters 
of  Labrador. 

This  (!X('<M'dingly  palatable  and  handsome  specimen 
of  the  whitetish  family,  invested  with  the  distin- 
guishin*^  badge  of  the  salnionidiu,  exhibits  very  few,  if 
any,  ])oints  of  dilference  from  the  ordinary  Vomjonus 
ciujM'lfot'/fii's,  or  whitellsh  of  eommereo.  In  midsum- 
mer, in  tho  Grande  Decharge,  it  appears  to  school  at 
times  with  the  ouananiche,  swimming  close  to  tho 
surface  of  tho  water,  round  and  round  tho  eddies  and 
oily-covered  pools  beneath  falls  or  rapids,  fretjuently 
showing  its  dorsal  fin  above  tho  scum,  and  by  tho 
simihirity  of  its  manner  often  passing,  with  anglers, 
for  ouatianiche.  Not  so  with  the  guides,  however, 
who  readily  distinguish  between '76'  samnon''''  and  ''Ha 
poisson  hlanehe^''  The  latter  will  occasionally  take 
the  fly  intended  for  ouananiche;  not  with  the  bound, 
however,  characteristic  of  those  salmonoids  that  are 
best  known  to  and  most  frecjuently  sought  by  sports- 
men, but  quietly  and  with  steady  tension.  Few  of 
the  guides  a]>pear  to  know  that  the  lish  takes  the  fly 
at  all,  and  so  do  not  encourage  the  angler  to  make 
any  effort  to  obtain  it,  though  its  flesh  is  delicious  and 
very  much  prized,  its  form  symmetrical  almost  as  tho 
salmon  itself,  and  its  fight  for  life  and  liberty  exciting 
and  obstinate.  Of  artificial  lures  it  prefers  the  small- 
est, and  these  must  be  dressed  on  very  small  hooks 
and  the  finest  of  tackle  employed.  Only  one  fly — a 
gnat,  or  something  of  that  kind— should  be  employed, 


282  OTIIKR   FISH    AND   (»AME 

and  tlio  ^Mit  shoviltl  bo  dyod  tho  color  of  tho  water. 
No  littlo  iti^^onuity  is  reiiuired  to  indiico  tlio  wliitelisli 
to  take  tlio  Wy  and  to  savo  tlio  fish  after  lio  in  impaled 
upon  tlio  liooU.  It  is  not  otdy  his  shyness  that  puz- 
zles tho  aii;;Ier,  hut  there  is  tho  impossibility  of  forc- 
ing' the  (l^^ht,  not  only  because  of  the  lirieness  of  the 
tackle  and  the  sinallness  of  the  hook  that  should  bo 
oinploycd,  but  also  for  fear  that  the  latter,  delicate  as 
it  must  be,  nuiy  tear  itself  out  from  the  tender  mouth 
of  th«5  fish.  I  suppose  it  is  because  it  is  so  little  known, 
and  also  because  there  is  so  much  more  rapid  and 
exciting  sport  to  be  had  with  tho  ouananiche,  that  the 
Lako  St.  Joiin  whitelish  is  not  more  sought  for  by 
anglers. 

THE   PICKEREL,  OR   DORft 

It  is  somewhat  surprising  that  anglei-s  upon  Cana- 
dian waters  should  have  paid  so  little  attention  to  a 
member  of  an  interesting  family  —  near  neighbor  of 
tho  pike — that,  both  by  reason  of  its  gamelike  (juali- 
ties  and  of  tho  superior  firmness  and  flavor  of  its  Mesh, 
"would  seem  to  call  for  a  larger  measure  of  recogni- 
tion at  their  hands.  I  refer  to  that  particular  member 
of  tho  pike  pei'ch  genus  known  in  some  [)arts  of  Cana- 
da as  the  pickerel,  and  in  others  as  tho  (lore,  and  that 
would  appear  to  be  very  nearly,  if  not  (juitc,  identical 
with  tho  wall-eyed  pike  of  the  prevailing  American 
nomenclature.  It  is  very  abundant  in  the  lakes  and 
rivers  of  northern  Quebec;  its  flesh,  when  cooked,  be- 
ing exceedingly  white,  flaky,  and  Arm — preferred  by 
many  to  that  of  the  bass,  and  fully  ecjual  to  that  of 
freshly  caught  haddock.     Specimens  of  this  species 


OTIIKK    FINII    AND  QAMM  168 

tak'o  frooly  siniiU  liv(!  lisli,  pieces  of  ouitoucln',  ami 
Biiuill  (ind  ii)('<liuiii-Hi/i;(l  spoons.  In  rapids,  in  tliu 
Bpriiii;  of  the  y(Mir,  tiicy  frtMiuontly  tako  tlio  angler's 
tn)iit  Hies,  and,  tl»ou;,'li  tlicv  suldtim  bi-cuk  water  when 
hooked,  tlioy  are  8tul>l)(>rn  H<^hters,  and  on  lij,dit  taeklo 
allord  capital  sport.  Tlioy  are  often  taken  in  Cana- 
dian waters  up  to  six  and  eight  pounds  in  weiglit.  In 
some  parts  of  the  United  States,  tiie  pickerel  is  ])cr- 
sistently  called  "salmon";  but  there  is  nothing  much 
more  remarkable  in  this  than  the  hahit  in  the  Scjuth 
of  applying  the  name  "trout"  to  black  bass,  or  tho 
more  universal  misnomer  of  pickerel  ap[)lied  to  tho 
pike  {Ji^o-!  liiciuti). 

TIIE  pikp: 

Marvellous  are  tho  stories  that  aro  told  of  tho  size 
and  ferocity  of  the  |)iko  kind,  that  go  about  like  roam- 
ing water-wolves,  seeking  whom  they  nuiy  devour,  in 
the  de[)ths  of  Lake  St.  John  and  its  tributary  streams, 
as  well  as  in  the  largo  lakes  away  towards  and  beyond 
the  Height  of  Land.  Many  of  these  far  exceed  in 
weight  the  generally  accepted  limit  of  size  of  tho  ordi- 
nary Ah)x  Indus,  and  I  have  fre(juently  l)Oon  toltl,  in 
consc(pionce,  that  I  was  wrong  in  my  identification 
and  nomenclature  of  tho  species,  and  that  these  long 
and  wide-jawed  monsters  of  twenty,  thirty,  and  oven 
forty  pounds  in  weight  were  not  tho  ordinary  piko 
at  all  —  the  pickerel  of  many  American  anglers,  but 
maskinonge,  or  Jti^ox  nohilior,  the  -Lvcius  inasqui- 
nonyy  of  Dr.  James  A.  Henshall.  It  is  a  simple  mat- 
ter, of  course,  to  satisfy  one's  self  by  observing  the 
scaling  of  the  cheeks  an    gill-covers,  and  the  number 


284  OTHER    F18II   AND   GAME 

of  branchiostegal  rays,  as  to  the  identification  of  the 
maslcinonge  and  of  the  true  pilce,  or  great  Nortliern 
picl^erel,  and  that  witliout  reference  to  the  coloration 
or  marlvings  of  the  body  of  the  fishes.  But  many  of 
those  who  have  not  taken  tlie  trouble,  or  have  not  had 
the  advantage,  of  carefully  examining  them  are  scep- 
tical on  the  subject,  because  of  the  immense  size  to 
which  Esox  luciiis  attains  in  northern  Quebec.  When 
specimens  of  the  fish,  or  even  good  photographs  of 
them,  can  be  secured,  it  is  quite  easy  for  even  the  most 
casual  observer  to  distinguish  between  the  elongated 
form  of  the  light- colored  markings  of  the  side  and  the 
smaller,  darker,  and  rounder  spots  of  the  maskinonge. 
I  have  seen  a  forty-nine-pound  pike  tliat  was  taken  by 
Mr.  William  Hayes,  of  London,  in  Lac  Tschotagama  in 
1890,  and  one  of  thirty-five  pounds  that  was  brought 
to  Quebec  from  the  Peri bonca  River  by  Mr.  B,  A,  Scott 
in  1892.  Mr.  E.  J.  Myers  claims  a  forty-seven-pound 
pike  taken  by  him  in  Lac  Tschotagama  in  July,  1891 ; 
and  in  August,  1892, 1  was  close  to  Colonel  Haggard's 
canoe  in  the  Peribonca  when  his  guide  lost  a  specimen 
at  least  five  feet  in  length  while  endeavoring  to  lift  it 
out  of  the  water.  To  so  large  a  size  have  these  fish 
attained  in  Lake  St.  John,  and  so  voi'acious  are  they 
known  to  be,  that  man}''  of  the  settlers  about  its 
shores  are  too  frightened  of  them  to  venture  to  bathe 
in  its  waters.  Both  dogs  and  water-fowl  swimming 
upon  its  surface  have  been  attacked  by  these  fresh-Ava- 
ter  sharks.  I  have  killed  a  fourteen-pound  specimen 
that  took  the  spoon  close  to  the  Island  House,  at  the 
head  of  the  Grande  Decharge,  on  an  eight-ounce  trout- 
rod.    A  stiffer  one  is  safer  and  better,  however,  in  con- 


OTHER   FISH   AND   GAME  '  985 

sequence  of  the  heavy  pitches  of  tlie  larger  fish.  JSFany 
anglers,  and  especially  those  accustomed  to  ouananiche 
and  trout,  spe^ik  of  the  pike  as  altogether  devoid  of 
game  qu^.lities.  Their  prejudice  is  perhaps  largely 
due  to  the  abhorrence  in  which  they  hold  his  desti'uc- 
tion  of  better  and  gamer  fish,  or  perhaps  they  have 
never  experienced  the  additional  fight  which  I  fancy 
he  displays  in  the  vigor-inspiring  cold  and  deep  water 
of  his  north  Canadian  home.  This  deep-seated  preju- 
dice, together  with  the  better  sport  among  the  sal- 
monida)  to  which  they  have  been  accustomed,  detracts 
from  many  anglers'  enjoyment  of  the  sport  of  pike- 
fishing,  the  principal  element  of  which — to  them — lies 
in  the  knowledge  of  tho  fact  that  they  are  destroy- 
ing one  of  the  worst  enemies  of  trout  and  ouananiche. 
Yet  the  pike  has  man}'-  excellent  points.  He  is  a 
sharp,  fierce  biter,  a  quick,  strong  runner  on  the  first 
break,  and  if  he  fails  on  one  attack  will  come  again 
with  undiminished  appetite.  True,  he  is  a  tender- 
lipped,  short-lived  fellow,  and  if  held  well  in  hand  on 
a  stiff  rod  will  rerv  soon  come  to  terms:  vet  with  it 
all  he  is  a  surging,  splashing,  rushing  foeman.  W. 
David  Tomlin,  in  his  monograph  on  this  fish  in 
Shield's  American  Game  Fishes,  says  of  its  fighting 
qualities : 

"  It  is  a  po\^erful  fish,  and  is  no  coward  ;  it  will  fight  as  vicious- 
ly as  a  terrier.  We  have  seen  smaller  pike  with  jaws  locked  and 
lashing  the  water  around  them  like  a  boiling  caldron.  Occasion- 
ally letting  go  and  backing  out,  they  would  again  rush  at  each 
other  with  open  jaws  and  keep  up  the  fight  until  one  is  beaten  and 
driven  away,  or  until  both  are  exhausted.  Some  years  ago  I  found 
two  dead,  with  both  jaws  fast  set,  so  that  they  could  not  be  pulled 
open.     Both  of  iliem  were  handsome  male  fish  and  must  have 


286  OTHER    FISH    AND   GAME 

fought  fiercely,  for  their  bodies  were  cut  all  along  the  sides  ami 
bellies.  .  .  .  The  pike  is  a  sharp-eyed,  shy  fish  ;  you  must  reach 
him  'a  ways  off';  you  cannot  expect  to  stand  on  a  big  rock,  drop 
down  in  the  water  beneath  you,  and  get  hooked  to  a  great  Northern 
pike.  '  lie  ain't  nobody's  fool,  and  don't  you  believe  it !'  Take  a 
trolling  or  spinning  hook,  baited  with  a  piece  of  fat  pork,  cut  it  in 
shape  like  a  fish,  have  a  boat  pulled  alongside  the  rushes  I  have 
spoken  of,  let  out  twenty  yards  of  line,  and  then  have  your  oarsman 
pull  a  long,  slow  stroke,  and  if  the  pike  family  are  receiving  visit- 
ors, you  will  soon  know  it.  Trolling  with  a  long  line  and  three 
sets  of  hooks  is  a  most  barbarous  way  of  fishing  for  the  pike.  I 
care  not  if  this  family  are  the  sharks  of  fresh  water,  they  are  enti- 
tled to  fair  play.  His  SatJuiic  Majesty  is  never  as  black  as  he  is 
painted,  so  the  Esox  lucius  is  cousin  german  to  the  Nvbilior,  vulgate 
Mascalonge,  and  partakes  of  his  noble  nature.  He  is  a  foenian 
worthy  the  steel  of  the  most  ardent  angler.  Some  anglers  call  the 
family  'snakes.'  I  pity  them!  Go  where  pike  can  be  found, 
fish  for  them  with  legitimate  tackle,  and  give  them  a  fair  chance, 
iind  they  will  give  just  as  much  pleasure  as  any  royal  Small- 
mouth  Bass  that  ever  swam." 

Almost  every  boy  who  has  the  advantage  of  living 
within  easy  distance  of  a  pike  pool  knows  something 
of  the  art  of  taking  him  with  spoons  or  live  minnows. 
But  many  fish  are  lost  by  failure  to  allow  sufficient 
time  for  them  to  gorge  the  bait,  before  the  strike  is 
given,  or  by  the  use  of  unsuitable  hooks.  On  account 
of  the  long,  wide  jaw  of  this  fish,  and  his  habit  of  try- 
ing to  disgorge  immediately,  a  straight  hook  will  sel- 
dom catch.  The  Limerick,  with  its  sweeping  twist  at 
the  bend  and  its  long  shank  to  withstand  the  sharp 
teeth,  is  the  proper  thing.  The  barb,  too,  must  be  ex- 
traordinarily wide  and  deep-set,  for  the  thin  filaments 
of  the  lip  are  soft  as  tissue-paper  and  tear  out  very 
easily.  Some  eminently  use^'ul  hints  upon  pike-fishing 
were  given  in  a  recent  number  of  the  New  York  Smi^ 


OTUKK   FISH    AND   GAME  887 

which  agree  so  thoroughly  with  my  own  observations 
on  the  subject  that  I  gladly  adopt  the  following 
extract : 

"  A  strip  cut  from  the  belly  of  another  flsh  with  ii  bit  of  fiu  left 
to  wiggle  as  ii  tail  is  extremely  effective  for  wliat  is  known  as  skit- 
tering. Salt  pork  's  used  in  place  of  a  bit  of  fish  by  tlie  baclt- 
woodsmen,  and  it  is  a  telling  bait.  The  live  minnow  of  course  is 
not  trolled,  but  cast  among  the  lily-pads  or  weeds  and  left  to  swim 
about  freely,  with  usually  a  cork  about  five  feet  from  the  hook  to 
mark  its  movements.  The  greatest  fault,  and  the  most  common 
one,  is  not  giving  the  pike  time.  A  bass  always  seizes  his  prey 
from  behind.  The  pike  never  fails  to  snatch  his  crosswise  in  the- 
middle.  He  rushes  from  some  shadowed  lair,  snaps  the  minnow  or 
bait  in  the  middle,  and  begins  to  back  or  swim  slowly  towards  some 
spot  where,  unobserved,  he  can  safely  devour  his  catch.  It  is  just 
at  this  instant  that  eight  out  of  ten  men  give  the  yank  that  is  fatal 
to  their  chances.  Wait  until  he  has  moved  off  a  few  feet  and 
stopped,  give  him  then  just  a  moment  to  gorge  the  prize.  Then 
strike.  In  trolling  late  in  the  year  a  split  buckshot  should  always 
be  used  to  keep  the  line  down  where  it  belongs.  The  big  fellows 
all  lie  deep,  and  will  not  even  rise  to  feed." 

The  consumption  of  small  ouananiche  by  the  pike 
of  Lake  St.  John  waters  has  been  already  referred  to. 
These  water-wolves  are  often  found  lurking  about  the 
pools  in  the  Grande  Decharge,  frequented  by  the 
ouananiche.  Many  of  the  latter,  as  Mr.  Creighton 
observes,  bear  marks  of  the  pike's  teeth,  and  he  re- 
lates the  following  facts  that  came  to  his  personal 
knowledge,  and  that  are  here  given  in  his  own  words : 

"I  once  saw  a  five-and-one-half-pound  flsh  swimming  about  in 
an  odd  and  helpless  manner,  and  found  that  his  spine  had  been 
broken  by  a  pike,  so  that  he  could  not  use  his  tail.  In  1887  I  was 
fishing  off  the  rocks  at  the  Grande  Chute,  and  hooked  a  Wananishe 
which  proved  to  weigh  just  less  than  a  pound.  Not  particularly 
caring  about  such  a  small  fish,  I  let  bim  wander  off  while  wailing 


288  OTHER   FISII    AND   GAME 

for  my  canoemnn  to  bring  the  landing- not.  On  reeling  in,  tlie 
weiglit  seemed  to  have  increased  in  an  extraordinary  manner.  I 
at  first  tlionglit  the  flsli  lind  fouled  something;  but  a  rush  lilie  a 
salmon's  changed  that  idea  into  great  curiosity.  After  an  anxious 
twenty  five  minutes,  for  the  fisli  several  times  tried  to  bolt  into  the 
main  current,  and  tliere  were  some  awkward  rock  ledges  close  in, 
he  turned  out  to  be  a  pike,  and  a  good -sized  one.  Once  within 
reach,  he  was  easily  netted,  and  vvas  found  to  weigh  ten  and  one- 
lialf  pounds.  The  Wanauishe  was  in  his  gullet,  but  the  hook  had 
slipped  out  of  the  AVananishe's  mouth  and  cauglit  in  the  socket  of 
the  pike's  eye  inside.  I  have  always  wondered  why  the  leader  was 
not  cut  by  his  teeth,  but  suppose  it  got  between  tliem.  Tliese  pike 
run  to  great  size  in  Lake  St.  Jolm  and  up  the  Peribonca." 

In  many  of  the  Lake  St.  John  waters,  where  he  has 
been  systematically  fished  for  a  few  years  back,  the 
pike  is  fortunately  very  much  less  abundant  than  he 
formerly  was.  Immense  numbers  of  the  fish  may 
still  be  taken  in  many  parts  of  Lake  St.  John,  and  of 
very  large  size,  especially  near  the  mouths  of  the 
Riviere  au  Pipe  and  the  Rivi6re  au  Coclion,  between 
the  head  of  the  Grande  Decharge  and  the  mouth  of 
the  Peribonca,  as  well  as  in  most  of  the  other  waters 
of  this  Northern  country. 

OTHER  FISH 

As  already  mentioned,  the  pike  is  not  the  only  finny 
foe  of  the  ouananiche.  The  burbot,  which  grows  to 
an  immense  size  in  Lake  St.  John,  preys  in  the  night- 
time upon  the  unsuspecting  young  of  the  fresh-water 
salmon,  and  specimens  of  the  latter  nearly  a  pound  in 
weight  have  been  found  in  the  stomachs  of  these 
prowlers  of  the  deep.  Large  quantities  of  burbot  are 
taken  through  the  ice  on  night-lines  in  the  winter  sea- 


OTHER    FISH    AND    GAME  289 

son  by  the  settlers  about  the  lake,  who  use  them  for 
food ;  and  very  good  eating  they  are,  too,  being  as 
firm  and  flaky  as  cod.  Mr.  Yarrell,  in  his  British 
Fishes^  says  that  the  flesh  of  the  burbot  "  is  white, 
firm,  and  of  good  flavor,  and  by  some  considered  su- 
perior to  that  of  the  eel."  In  fact,  this  burl)ot  is  a 
species  of  cod  or  ling,  and  from  its  liver  may  be  ex- 
tracted an  oil  similar  to  cod-liver  oil.  The  habitants 
call  it  lush,  and,  before  I  had  obtained  specimens  for 
examination  and  identiflcation,  frequently  and  errone- 
ously described  it  to  me  as  a  catfish.  I  take  their  name 
of  the  fish  to  be  a  mispronunciation  of  the  French 
loche  (losh),  though  that  "most  dainty  fish,"  as  Wal- 
ton calls  the  loach,  neither  belongs  to  the  same  family 
as  the  burbot,  nor  yet  has  it  the  same  peculiar  ar- 
rangement of  fins.  But  while  without  the  tapering, 
eel-like  form  of  the  back  part  of  the  burbot's  body, 
the  little  loach  "  has  a  beard  or  wattles  like  a  barbel," 
and  lives  and  gets  its  food  close  to  the  bottom  of  the 
water.  In  these  respects  he  is  resembled  by  the  burbot, 
and  herein  it  may  be  that  the  latter  has  received  the 
name  by  which  he  is  known  to  the  French-Canadians 
of  the  Lake  St.  John  country.  In  the  greater  depths 
of  the  inland  sea  he  often  attains  a  length  of  three 
feet,  which  much  exceeds  the  size  to  which  he  grows 
in  Enirlish  waters.  The  burbot  of  Lake  St.  John  is 
the  ordinary  Lota  Americana — the  Lota  maculosa  of 
Le  Sueur,  which  is  found  as  far  south  as  the  Mississip- 
pi, according  to  Mr.  Seth  Eugene  Meek  in  his  report 
of  1889-90-91  upon  the  fishes  of  Iowa.  It  is  common 
in  Lake  Ontario,  and  is  known  in  various  localities  as 
ling,  eel-pout,  lake-lawyer,  and  fresh-water  cusk.    Ex- 

19 


290  OTHER    FISH    AND   (SAME 

perimonts  by  Mr.  Charles  A.  Strowger,  of  Xino-Milo 
J'oint,  Monroe  County,  N.  Y.,  have  proved  that  the 
burbot  is  capable  of  being  so  salted  and  dried  as  to 
be  practically  undistinguishable  from  salt  codfish. 

The  European  burbot  has  been  termed  both  Lota 
vulfjarh  and  Moloa  lota.  Charles  Kingsley,  in  the 
chapter  of  his  Prone  Idylls  devoted  to  the  Fens,  thus 
<lescribes  him :  "There  lingers  in  the  Cam,  and  a  few 
other  rivers  of  northeastern  Europe,  that  curious  fish, 
the  eel-pout  or  burbot  {Molvalota).  Now,  he  is  utter- 
ly distinct  from  any  otiier  fresh-water  fish  of  Europe. 
His  nearest  ally  is  the  ling  {Molva  vuhjaris) ;  a  deep- 
sea  fish,  even  as  his  ancestors  have  been.  Originally 
a  deep-sea  form,  he  has  found  his  way  up  the  rivers, 
even  to  Cambridge,  and  there  remains.  The  rivers  by 
which  he  came  up,  the  land  through  which  he  passed, 
ages  and  ages  since,  have  been  all  swept  away  ;  and 
he  has  never  found  his  way  back  to  his  native  salt- 
water, but  lives  on  in  a  strange  land,  degraded  in 
form,  dwindling  in  numbers,  and  now  fast  dying  out. 
The  explanation  may  be  strange ;  but  it  is  the  only 
one  which  I  can  offer  to  explain  the  fact — which  is  itself 
much  more  strange — of  the  burbot  being  found  in  the 
Fen  rivers."  Because  of  my  lack  of  Canon  Kingsley's 
opportunities  for  the  investigation  and  study  of  this 
theory,  I  am  not  prepared  to  challenge  its  correctness. 
But  its  analogy  to  the  spurious  claims  on  behalf  of 
the  ouananiche  and  its  fresh -water  habitat,  already 
referred  to,  will  occur  to  many  who  are  conversant 
with  these  latter,  and  I  \QYy  much  doubt  if  the  accom- 
plished Canon,  when  he  advanced  it,  was  aware  of  the 
fact  that  the  burbot  lives  and  thrives  to  so  remark- 


OTIIEK    I-'ISII    AND    (JAME  901 

able  an  extent  in  tlie  waters  of  Lake  St.  Jolin  and  of 
the  Mississippi,  wiience  it  iias  easy  and  unobstructed 
access  to  tlie  sea. 

Tiio  Lake  St.  John  burbot  is  verv  tenacious  of  life, 
and  tlie  sensitiveness  of  its  barbule,  or  beard,  is  sucii 
tliat  even  when  the  fish  is  apparently  dead  it  will 
kick  violently  if  this  appendage  be  disturbed.  A  sim- 
ilar sensitiveness  in  the  barbule  of  the  cod  and  tlio 
haddock  has  been  noticed  in  Paske  and  Ailalo's  The 
Sea  and  the  liud. 

Tiiere  are  many  other  species  of  iish  in  these  waters, 
jncliiding  ])ercli  and  the  different  varieties  of  carp,  but, 
like  the  burbot,  they  are  of  little  or  no  interest  to  the 
angler. 

Trout,  whitefish,  dore,  pike,  etc.,  may  be  had  for  at 
least  one  hundred  and  fiftv  miles  north  of  Lake  St. 
John  ;  then,  for  some  distance  before  reaching  the 
Height  of  Land,  trout  and  whitefish  disappear  for 
a  while,  and  we  are  beyond  the  southerly  habitat  of 
the  ouananiche.  Here  the  principal  fish  to  be  had, 
and  they  are  very  plentiful,  are  pike,  dore,  suckers, 
ouitouche,  and  perch,  all  of  which  swarm  in  ]3ig  and 
Little  Nekebau  lakes,  Ohahtegooman,  Ojebogoomou, 
and  adjacent  waters.  In  the  streams  and  lakes  be- 
yond the  Height  of  Land,  and  especially  in  Mistassini 
itself,  as  well  as  in  Lake  Wakwunitche,  midway  be- 
tween the  two,  magnificent  trout,  whitefish,  and  dore 
are  plentiful. 

Altogether  beyond  the  scope  of  the  present  work, 
and  worthy  of  a  large  volume  to  themselves,  are  the 
magnificent  sea-going  salmon  that  annually  repair  to 
the  majority  of  the  coastal  streams  of  the  great  Labra- 


203  OTJIP:ii    FISII    AND    (iAME 

(lor  jxininsula.  Those  seldom,  or  never,  ascend  to  tlie 
homo  of  the  purely  fresh-water  salmon,  and  are  not, 
therefore,  included  in  this  description  of  the  Cana- 
dian environment  of  the  ouananiche. 


GAME 

Briefest  mention  may  be  made  of  some  of  the  sport 
that  is  to  be  had  by  lovers  of  the  gun  and  the  riHe  in 
the  land  of  the  ouananiche.  Partridges  are  plentiful 
in  many  localities  between  Quebec  and  Lake  St.  John, 
and  also  in  most  of  the  woods  between  Lake  St.  John 
and  Lake  Mistassini.  They  may  only  be  killed  be- 
tween the  loth  of  September  and  the  1st  of  February'. 
Snipe  are  plentiful  in  many  of  the  marshy  localities  of 
this  north  country,  the  close  season  for  them  being 
from  the  1st  of  February  to  the  1st  of  September. 
Ducks  of  various  kinds,  particularly  black  ducks,  teal, 
antl  sheldrake  are  very  common  on  all  the  waters  in 
the  Lake  St.  John  district.  They  may  be  killed  from 
the  1st  of  September  to  the  ir)th  of  April. 

AVhile  there  is  no  legal  excuse  for  the  sportsman 
to  have  a  gun  with  him  during  the  summer  season, 
it  is  always  useful  in  making  a  long  trip  into  the 
woods  to  have  a  rifle  near  at  hand.  A  bear  may 
l)e  met  at  any  time.  Only  upon  the  approach  of 
winter,  however,  is  his  skin  of  any  value,  though  his 
flesh  is  at  all  times  considered  a  luxury.  A  bear  may 
often  be  found  swimming  across  a  large  body  of 
water.  Often  in  the  latter  part  of  the  summer  a 
number  of  these  animals  are  found  in  a  hruU — a  por- 
tion of  forest  that  has  been  swept  by   fire  —  where 


OTIIKU    FISH   AND  GAME  203 

they  are  fond  of  feodinf^  upon  tlie  wild  raspberries  and 
otiier  berries  tluit  sprin«;  uj)  in  its  wake.  iMany 
bears  are  unnually  kilUul  in  the  vicinity  of  Lake 
Kiskisink  and  in  the  valleys  of  tlio  l*eril)onca  an<l 
Ashuapmouciiouan  rivers. 

Tiie  rod  deer  (Ccrrns  vlrghiianuH)  was  until  lately 
unknown  in  the  Labrador  peninsula  east  of  the  ( )tta\va 
valley,  or  at  all  events  of  the  headwaters  of  the  St. 
^Faurice.  A  few  specimens  have  lately  made  their 
appearance  north  of  (Quebec. 

Caribou  are  fairly  plentiful  in  the  entire  Saguenay 
and  Lake  St.  John  country.  Tiie}'^  alx)un(l  upon  the 
preserves  of  the  Triton  and  Tourilli  clubs,  and  many 
are  shot  there  every  winter.  The  killii.g  of  them  is 
prohibited  except  from  the  1st  of  October  to  the  1st 
of  January.  On  Lac  Trois  Cariboux,  about  the  1st 
of  October,  1804,  Dr.  Ilobert  ^L  Lawrence,  of  Wash- 
ington and  Lexington,  IMass.,  with  whom  I  was  camj)- 
ing,  had  an  exciting  adventure  with  a  noble  buck. 
When  I  es})ied  the  animal  at  the  first,  it  had  just 
started  out  a  few  hundred  yards  below  our  camp  to 
swim  across  the  lake.  We  had  but  one  rifle  between 
us,  and  the  doctor,  who  had  been  hastily  summoned, 
taking  my  two  Indians  and  canoe,  shot  across  the  lake 
in  pursuit  of  the  splendid  game.  It  was  a  sight  such 
as  one  does  not  soon  forget.  The  broad  back,  large 
head,  and  spreading  antlers  of  the  caribou  appearing 
above  the  water;  the  picturescpie  bark  canoe  in  hot 
pursuit ;  the  guides  paddling  as  if  for  dear  life,  and  at 
the  same  time  vigorously  calling  the  buck,  who  paused 
twice  to  listen  and  to  turn  his  head ;  the  steady  gain- 
ing of  the  canoe  upon  the  graceful  form  in  front  that 


t94  OTIIKK    I'lHH    AND    OAMB 

was  cxortin^  its  every  elTort  to  elude  pursuit  niul  to 
reach  tilt)  siieltjif  of  tin;  woods  upon  the  opposite 
shore — no  wonder  that  such  a  sceno  remains  indelihlv 
imprinted  ui)on  tho  retina  of  tlio  mind.  Now  the 
canoo  is  apparently  within  two  hundnMl  feet  of  tho 
hack,  who  is  close  to  the  shore,  (^uite  distinctly, 
thouf^h  nearly  a  mile  away  across  tho  water,  I  can  see 
tho  doctor  lift  the  rille  to  his  shoulder  and  take  a 
stoad}'  aim.  And  now  for  tho  quarry!  With  the 
f,nin,  whicl.  was  mine  that  day,  he  had  on  the  <lay  pre- 
cedin*,^  hron^ht  down  every  (hick  and  partrid<^o  upon 
which  he  had  fired,  and  they  were  not  a  few  cither. 
And  now  ho  has  alrcMidy  drawn  a  head  upon  tho  buck 
with  his  rifle.  Still  it  is  at  his  shoulder,  and  vet  there 
is  no  report.  Now  tho  firearm  is  lowered,  and  yet 
there  has  been  no  discharge.  "What  can  bo  the  cause? 
Does  so  sure  a  shot  desire  a  still  greater  advantage 
over  his  game?  Surely  now  he  can  recpiiro  no  better. 
Tin;  noble  animal  has  pulled  himself  languidly,  be- 
cause of  his  fatigue,  half  out  of  the  water  upon  the 
rocky  shore,  and  is  almost  broadside  to  tho  canoe  as 
he  prci)aros  to  take  tho  cover  of  tho  woods.  Had 
ever  hunter  his  game  so  secure?  Quickly  to  the 
shoulder  goes  up  the  rifie;  tho  delay  in  firing  seems  an 
age,  waiting  for  tho  crash  and  the  smoke  that  shall 
salute  the  success  of  the  hunter's  prowess.  The  giant 
caribou,  proudly  tossing  his  richly  an  tiered  head,  was 
just  gaining  tho  shelter  of  the  forest,  and  now  or 
never  must  he  receive  the  doctor's  bullet.  It  is  but 
the  twinkling  of  an  eye,  and  there,  look,  tho  buck 
has  disappeared  from  view  and  not  a  discharge  has 
there  been  from  the  rifle !    Soon  was  it  all  explained  I 


OTIIKU    Msll    AND   (iAME  S0.5 

The  rill(^  luid  missod  lln?.  Tt  luul  been  recently  oiled, 
not  ciin'fully  (mi()11<;1i  (lri(!d,  and  u  cui'ti'id^^<?  had  stuck. 
Iina«jjinjUi()ii  may  do  justice  to  our  cliii^n'in.  Descrip- 
tion, n(!V(M'!  Tlio  Indiiins,  it"  |i()ssil)l(5,  felt  worse  al)out 
tlio  (lisiii)pointn\ent  tliau  \v(!  did,  and  tallvcd  of  noth- 
ing els(^  for  the  remainder  of  tiie  day.  It  was  some 
liours  Ix^fore  eitiicr  of  us  could  even  dream  of  jolcing 
about  th(^  matter,  and  tlien  I  said,  "  Doctor,  I  cannot 
iielp  tliinking  what  a  ma<,Miillcent  addition  tiiose  ant- 
lers would  iiavo  made  to  your  library."  And  ho  im- 
mcMliatcly  replied,  witli  a  sarcastic  smile,  that,  while 
drawing  his  bead  u[)on  the  buck,  he  had  made  up  his 
mind  to  have  the  limi)s  mounted  for  a  stick  and  fish- 
ing-rod rack  for  my  hallway. 

On  tlie  train  that  took  u.^  back  to  Quebec  next  day 
a  numb(!r  of  sportsmen  wei;»  r.\va])ping  stories.  A 
sour-looldng  divine  who  sat  near  interfered  to  express 
his  gratilication  at  the  escape  of  our  caribou,  and  his 
condemnation  of  field  sports  generally,  upon  the 
ground  of  what  he  was  pleased  to  call  their  cruelt}'  to 
the  lower  orders  of  creation.  The  exhibition  of  this 
kind  oi fin-de-siecle  charity,  unha})pily  of  too  frequent 
occurrence  nowadays,  was  perhaps  uppermost  in  the 
minds  of  those  who  recently  distributed  among  tlie 
three  little  lakes  that  lead  to  the  main  club-house  of 
the  Tritons  this  nomenclature :  "  Faith,  Hope,  and 
Charity " ;  but  in  this  case,  the  smallest  of  these  is 
char  it}'. 

It  is  gratifying  to  know  that  many  of  the  gentlest 
of  men  and  most  estimable  of  clergymen  are  among 
the  sportsmen  of  the  present  day ;  and  the  late  Eev. 
Dr.  Lundy,  the  Eight  Eev.  Bishop  Totter,  of  New 


'iW\  {fVllKil   FIHtl    AM>  OAMK 

York  ;  tlio  Tlov.  Dr.  Yaw  Dvko ;  tlio  Tli^Mit  Tlov.  l^f^^r. 
Pn(|Uot,  of  Laval  Univorsity  ;  tlio  Uov.  Dr.  (.oiivim'so, 
of  ]I«)l)art  Collr^o,  (toMovn,  N.  Y.;  tlit;  Kov.  Dr. 
Smith,  of  Washington,  and  scores  of  others  that  could 
1)13  mentioned,  liave  hemi  rof^ular  visitors  and  anj^diirs 
in  the  hmd  of  the  ouananiche.  Mr.  W.  K.  Hod;»;«on, 
in  tlie  Natioiml  /ivoliin,  in  the  cours(!  of  an  article 
on  the  "  Immorality  of  Kvolutitmar}'  Kthics,"  crosses 
swords  with  ilc'rhert  Spencer  on  the  question  of  the 
ethics  of  field  sports,  anil  a  recent  writer  in  the  J'leld 
says: 

"If  lessening  of  llic  sum  totiil  of  pain  bo  tlio  object  to  be  ob- 
tained, tlien  man  is  tlio  best  executioner,  After  nil,  llsli,  flesli,  and 
fowl  nuiHt  ])eri8li,  cither  at  Ills  or  nature's  han(U,  and  a  JoeU  Scott, 
an  exprcHH  liuilet,  or  a  charge  of  No.  0  puts  an  end  to  the  quarry, 
({uilu  as  mercifully  as  an  otter,  a  lion,  or  a  fiii<-on.  And  if  Mr. 
Spencer  shares,  as  wo  believe  lie  does,  the  opinion  of  Ouida,  thai 
sport,  'by  inducing;  callousness,  vitiates  social  life,'  all  that  we  can 
say  is  that  we  do  not  agree  with  him,  and  hold  the  wringing  of  a 
bird's  neck  or  the  cutting  of  a  sheep's  throat  to  be  far  more  bru- 
talizing than  the  pulling  of  a  trigger." 

During  recent  hunting  seasons,  Mr.  INFcCarthy,  of 
Syracuse,  and  Mr.  Curtis,  of  New  York,  have  been 
very  successful  in  their  caribou-liunting  in  the  vicinity 
of  Lake  Batiscan.  Mr.  Archibald  Stuart,  of  Scotland, 
killed  several  head  in  the  vicinity  of  La  Belle  Kiviere, 
always  a  favorite  haunt  of  these  animals,  and  hundreds 
of  other  specimens  have  fallen  at  various  points  be- 
tween Quebec  and  Lake  St.  John. 

Moose  are  much  more  scarce  than  they  formerly 
were,  though  every  season  sees  a  number  of  them 
killed  by  sportsmen,  principally  in  La  Belle  Riviere 
district,  to  the  southeast  of  Lake  St.  John,  and  some 


OTiIKU    FLSII    AND   OAMK  M7 

(listanco  iiilauil  from  tlio  west  slioro  of  tlio  SiigiuMmy. 
Tlicy  arooftc!!!  found  !ils(>  in  tho  country  dniiiu'd  l»y  tlio 
upper  watora  of  the  St,  Maurico.  IJut  they  arc  most 
jil)un(lant  in  tlio  Mattawa  district,  and  in  tlio  territory 
Wittered  by  tlio  Upper  Ottawa  an<l  (iatineau  rivers. 

Tlio  Provincial  Le^nslaturo  of  (^uoliec,  at  its  session 
of  1805,  adopted  a  law  in  virtue  of  wliieli  the  Com- 
missioner of  ('rown  Lands  is  autlioii/ed  to  lease  tlio 
I'i^-lit  of  hunting  ;^amo  upon  juiblic  lauds  in  this  prov- 
ince, for  terms  of  ten  years,  at  tlio  rate  of  one  dollar 
per  square  mile  per  year.  This  opi)ortunity  is  likely 
to  bo  taken  advantage  of  very  largely  by  lishiiig  elulis 
now  in  the  enjoyment  of  the  llsliitig  leases  of  largo 
tracts  of  country  in  the  Canadian  onvironment  of  tlio 
ouananicho. 


I>art  firiD 


THE   MONTAGNAIS   INDIANS  AND   THEIR 
FOLK-LORE 


THE    MONTAGNAIS   INDIANS   AND    TIIEIIl 

FOLK-LORE 


A  DESCRIPTION  of  the  Canadian  environment  of  the 
ouananiche  would  be  necessarily  incomplete  without 
some  account  of  the  aboriginal  inhabitants  of  the  coun- 
try. The  sportsman  who  penetrates  into  its  interior 
enorao;es  these  Monta":nais  Indians  as  his  o-uides,  and 
he  need  not  be  an  enthusiast  in  the  science  of  eth- 
nography to  desire  some  knowledge  of  the  tribal 
peculiarities  of  this  interesting  people,  and  of  the 
strange  beliefs,  superstitions,  and  manners  of  the  men 
who  paddle  and  pole  his  canoe  in  the  water,  carry  it 
over  the  portages,  pitch  and  take  down  his  tent,  make 
his  bed  and  his  fire,  cook  and  serve  his  meals,  and  con- 
duct him  to  the  likeliest  spot  for  a  shot  at  a  bear  or  a 
caribou,  or  to  the  most  promising  grounds  for  ouana- 
niche or  trout. 

Already  in  the  chapter  upon  Canoeing  and  Camp- 
ing, and  elsewhere  in  the  foregoing  pages,  has  ample 
testimony  been  borne  to  the  efficiency  of  the  guides 
with  pole  and  paddle  and  axe,  in  rapids  or  on  portage, 
in  camp  or  in  the  trackless  forest. 

These  Indians  are  a  branch  of  the  Cree  family,  and 
are  divided  into  two  tribes — the  Nascapees  or  inland 


803      THE    MONTAUNAIS   INDIANS   AND   THEIK    J'OLK-LOliE 

Indians,  and  the  ^NFontagnais  or  shore  Indians,  Tlie 
last  of  the  Jesuit  missionaries  to  the  ]Montag)iais  of 
Tadoussac — tlie  learned  Father  Labrosse,  resj)ectin«^' 
Avliose  death  in  1782  there  is  an  interestin*;-  legend* 
— had  an  ingenious  theory  of  the  origin  of  the  ^«orth 
American  Indian.  He  maintained  that  when  Solomon 
decided  upon  the  erection  of  his  temple  at  Jerusalem 
he  desi)atchcd  vessels  to  every  known  part  of  the 
globe  for  artists  and  materials.  One  of  these  sliips 
Avas  driven  by  a  storm  upon  the  coast  of  ]S'(jrtli 
America,  and  the  crew,  unable,  from  their  ignorance 
of  navigation,  to  trace  their  way  back,  landed,  and 
were  the  lirst  inhabitants  of  this  continent.  And  in 
su})port  of  his  theory  the  Jesuit  indicated  what  he 
thought  the  points  of  resemblance  between  Indians  and 
Israelites,  by  no  means  complimentary  to  the  latter.f 
At  the  time  of  the  first  arrival  of  Eurojieans  at  Ta- 
doussac, and  before  the  advent  of  missionaries  among 
them,  the  ]\Iontiignais  were  of  the  lowest  Algonquin 
type.  Parkman  :{;  relates  that  often,  goaded  by  dead- 
ly famine,  they  would  subsist  o.i  roots,  the  bark  and 
buds  of  trees,  or  the  foulest  offal ;  and  in  cases  of  ex- 
tremit}'',  even  cannibalism  was  not  rare  among  them. 
The  Indians  of  the  interior  have  continued  most  of 
these  practices  up  to  (juite  modern  times.     Xo  later 

*  Translated  from  Abbe  Casgrain  in  Principal  Grant's  Pictur- 
esque Cauaila,  and  in  Chambers's  Guide  to  the  SiKjuenay  and  Lake 
St.  John. 

f  James  ]\rackenzie's  Account  of  tlie  King's  Ponts  in  Lahmdor 
.  .  .  irith  a  De.'icription  of  the  Natives,  and  Journal  of  a  Trip 
throvfjh  those  Coiintries  in  1808,  published  by  Hon.  L.  R.  IMassou  in 
Les  Bourgeois  de  la  Compagnie  da  Nord-ouest  (Quebec,  1890). 

X  In  his  introduction  to  The  Jesuits  in  North  America. 


'X 


ft 


THE    MONTAONAIS    INDIANS  AND   TIIKIU    H)I,K-l.()liK     308 

than  ISoO,  Father  Arnaud,  -wlio  is  still  Iivill;,^  met 
at  Sept  Isles  a  Nascapeo  "woman,  who,  before  her 
conversion  to  Christianity  by  Father  Duroclier,  was 
not  only  a  noted  sorceress  of  her  tribe,  but  an  inveter- 
ate cannibal.  Her  first  victim  was  her  husband,  uho 
had  died  of  hunger  and  starvation,  and  slu;  continued 
her  feast  until  she  had  devoured  three  of  her  ciiildien, 
two  of  whom  had  died  of  starvation,  while  the  third 
was  killed  by  its  unnatural  mother.  She  next  raised 
her  hand  against  a  woman  of  her  own  tribe  who  had 
herself  feasted  upon  the  dead  body  of  one  of  her  chil- 
dren, and  became  food  in  turn  for  the  miserable  Yero- 
nicjue,  as  the  wretched  woman  was  called  after  her 
conversion  and  baptism.  It  was  the  hunters  of  the 
tribe,  in  fear  and  trembling,  and  not  her  own  remorse- 
ful conscience,  that  took  Veronique  to  the  missionary. 
They  wanted  the  fear  of  the  Great  Spirit  put  into  her, 
and  the  missionary  commenced  operations  by  having 
all  her  hair  cut  olf  and  hung  upon  a  pole  at  the  en- 
trance to  the  Indian  cemetery,  and  then  kept  her  on 
her  knees  outside  the  church  door  during  the  Avhole 
continuance  of  a  mission.  Another  missionary  tells 
of  the  murder  during  the  same  year,  by  another  Ind- 
ian woman,  of  two  entire  families,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  one  young  man.  Her  victims  included  two 
men,  two  women,  three  boys,  and  four  girls,  and  she 
subsisted  for  some  time  upon  their  flesh. 

As  late  as  1867  Father  Nedelec,  who  journeyed  as 
far  north  as  Lake  Mistassini  to  minister  to  the  Ind- 
ians there,  reported  the  murder  of  a  young  man  eigh- 
teen years  of  age  by  his  own  mother,  who  was  assisted 
in  the  crime  by  another  young  man,  and  who  declared 


y04     TIIK    MONTAONAIS    INDIANS  AND   TUKIK    FOLK-LOUK 

tli.at  slio  could  not  r^^sist  tho  iini)ulso  to  tlio  murder,  to 
wliirli  she  was  compelled  by  the  devil.  At  a  neigh- 
boring Indian  post  during  the  next  summer  a  man 
killed  a  woman  to  prevent  her  being  changed  into  a 
AVendigo  (a  Windigo) — a  man-eater  or  demon.  The 
same  missionary  saw  tho  skull  and  bones  of  another 
wonuin  who  had  been  killed  for  a  similar  reason. 
And  he  declares  in  his  letters  that  the  decrease  in  the 
nund>er  of  these  Mistassini  Indians  is  due  not  only  to 
the  lack  of  provisions  and  other  hardships  when  game 
is  scarce,  but  to  their  glutton}'  in  times  of  plenty,  their 
gross  immorality,  and  the  debilitating  effect  upon 
their  nerves  and  temperament  of  their  constant  j)rac- 
tice  of  the  dark  arts  of  juggling  and  sorcery.  Some 
of  them  would  appear  to  be  adepts  in  the  art  of  hyp- 
notism, and  stories  are  told  by  the  missionaries  of  the 
control  exercised  by  Indian  jugglers  over  young  wom- 
en of  their  own  or  other  tribes,  to  bend  them  to  their 
own  purposes. 

Father  Arnaud  corroborates  the  tales  of  occasion- 
al anthropophagy  among  tho  Nascapees,  but  declares 
that  it  is  usually  hunger,  and  not  a  ])assion  for  human 
flesh,  that  drives  them  to  tho  fearful  habit.  Jealousy 
and  resentment  have  at  times  led  them  to  shed  the 
blood  of  those  of  whom  they  were  the  natural  guardi- 
ans, and  tho  missionary  relates  the  story  of  a  hunter, 
who,  being  anxious  to  put  away  his  wife  and  marry  an- 
other (and  having  never  heard,  it  is  charitable  to  pre- 
sume, of  the  divorce  courts  of  the  West),  left  her  to 
perish  alone  in  tho  woods.  Tho  poor  creature  con- 
trived, however,  to  track  her  husband  to  his  next  en- 
campment, only  to  be  pierced  through  the  heart  by  an 


TIM.    MONTA0NAI8   INDIANS  AND   TIIKIlt    K(>M<-LOHK    305 

urrow.  Tlicso  Indians  woro  not  always  so  particular 
about  riddiiit,''  tlieins(»lves  of  one  wifo  bet'oru  taking 
another,  and  my  good  frit^nd  Father  liabel  relates 
that  duriii«x  one  season's  missionary  labors  in  the  in- 
terior  of  Labrador  he  separated  the  parties  to  no  less 
than  twenty  bigamous  alliances. 

Though  still  clinging  to  many  of  their  old  sui)ersti- 
tions,  deeds  of  blood  and  violence  are  far  less  common 
than  formei'ly.  Up  to  ([uito  recent  times,  however,  it 
was  the  custom  among  both  Mcjntagnais  and  Nas- 
capees  to  strangle  their  old  and  inlirni  whenever  they 
became  unable  to  accompany  the  rest  of  the  party 
upon  their  hunting  tj-ips.  To  carry  them  about  with 
them  was  out  of  the  question,  their  own  tents,  guns, 
provisions,  axes,  and  canoes  being  all  that  they  could 
manage.  They  probably  justilied  the  murder  upon 
the  ground  that  it  was  more  merciful  than  to  permit 
the  inhrni  to  perish  alone  of  hunger.  Mtmy  old  Hud- 
son Bay  officials  now  living,  such  as  Mr.  Peter  Mac- 
kenzie, of  Montreal,  and  Messrs.  Henry  Connolly  and 
Allan  G.  Cameron,  formerly  of  the  Labrador  posts, 
can  furnish  instances,  just  as  the  older  missionaries 
can,  of  successful  intervention  in  cases  of  intended 
murder  of  aged  and  helpless  Indians.  But  sometimes 
humane  efforts  of  this  kind  have  been  thwarted,  and 
Mr.  Connolly  tells  of  an  old  woman  thus  ruthlessly 
killed  close  to  his  post;  his  first  intimation  of  the  en- 
actment of  the  tragedy  having  been  a  conversation 
which  he  overheard  between  two  other  squaws,  who 
Avere  discussing  the  division  of  her  poor  belongings, 
and  commenting  upon  the  victim's  apparent  unwill- 
ingness to  die.    Usually  in  such  cases  there  is  a  quick 

20 


»(»«     TIIK    MoNTAONAIS    INDUNH    ANI>  TIIKIU    Kd.K-I.dHK 

and  n.'iuly  undorstandiii^'-  ol"  tlio  situation,  and  wlion  tlio 
victim  feels  that  lie  or  she  is  no  longer  of  any  use,  there 
is  a  ])erfect  resignation  to  approacliing  fate.  Tlio 
executioner  enters  the  tent  or  wigwam  in  which  the 
victim  is  lying,  and  places  a  thong  made  out  of  deer- 
skin around  the  throat.  The  end  is  |)a8sed  under  the 
e(lg(5  of  the  hut  or  tent,  and  is  there  tightened  until 
strangulation  has  done  its  work.  I  have  been  told  of 
cases  in  which  two  oxecution(M's  were  employed,  one 
])ulling  on  each  side  of  the  tent,  always  on  the  out- 
side, and  each  having  hold  of  the  cord  or  strap  of 
deerskin  that  passed  around  the  victim's  throat. 

Among  the  Indians  who  hunt  in  the  (iatineau  coun- 
try, and  thence  to  the  headwaters  of  the  St.  ]\[aurice, 
it  was  customary  up  to  a  very  few  years  ago,  and 
doubtless  is  still,  in  the  interior  of  the  country,  for  an 
aged  hunter,  when  ho  felt  himself  no  longer  able  to 
accompany  his  companions  upon  the  chase,  to  divide 
his  small  belongings  into  as  many  little  heaps  or  piles 
upon  the  ground  as  he  had  sons.  ]>eneatli  one  of 
these  was  concealed  his  axe.  Then  the  different  sons 
■were  summoned,  to  select  each  the  ])ile  that  was  to 
be  his  share  of  his  father's  goods.  Upon  him  who  dis- 
covered the  axe  beneath  his  patrimony  devolved  the 
duty  of  becoming  his  father's  despatcher.  While  the 
children  were  engaged  in  making  the  fatal  selection, 
the  old  hunter  chanted  a  mournful  dirge,  of  which  tho 
following  is  a  free  translation : 

"Withered  and  old  am  I, 
The  flsh  can  no  longer  take, 
The  deer  can  no  longer  chase, 
The  rabbit  no  longer  trap, 
And  life  is  no  more  for  nie." 


TllIO    M()NTA(iNAI«    INDIANS   AND   TIIKIU    K)I,K1,(»I{|;     ;I07 

Tlioir  ton'itoriiil  liuiiliu;^  rin;hts,  uhicli  aro  their 
most  valued  possessions,  are  not  tlio  fatlier's  to  bc- 
<iueath.  Tlieso  liereditary  rights  are  vested  in  the 
woman,  and  the  liunter  only  acquires  the  use  of  them 
by  marriage.  The  le;,Mtimacy  of  the  succession  to  the 
<j;rounds,  which  is  doubtless  the  object  aimed  at  by 
the  practice,  is  thus  assured. 

They  bury  their  tlead  within  sight  of  a  portage  and 
overlooking  a  lake,  and  will  often  carry  the  bodies 
some  distance  to  reach  an  appropriate  burial-place. 

The  hearts  of  bravo  fathers  or  successful  hunters 
have  been  known  to  have  been  eaten  by  their  children 
for  the  purpose  of  imbibing  their  courage. 

They  regard  death  as  the  first  stage  of  a  journey 
which  they  symbolically  describe  as  walking  ui)  the 
rainbow. 

Father  Dablon,  who  in  lOGO  ascended  the  Saguenay 
in  search  of  the  Northern  Ocean,  tells  in  his  Journal  of 
a  disease  that  was  quite  common  in  his  time  among 
the  Montagnais  Indians.  The  victim  suddenly  be- 
came a  hypochondriac,  his  disease  developing  into  a 
mania.  In  its  succeeding  stage  the  insane  was  seized 
with  such  rabid  hunger  for  human  llesh  that  he 
sprang  like  a  famished  wolf  upon  all  that  he  met. 
''^ hi  proportion,"  says  the  good  Father,  "as  he  finds 
"wherewith  to  glut  this  hunger,  it  grows  like  thirst  in 
dropsy,  and  accordingly  the  Indians  never  fail  to  kill 
at  once  any  one  seized  with  this  disease." 

Up  to  this  day,  in  the  northern  part  of  the  interior 
of  Labrador,  unfortunates  who  lose  their  reason  in 
the  woods,  or  who  become  hysterical  or  epileptic,  are 
believed  to  be  possessed  of  the  devil,  and  their  death 


H08     TMK    MONJAONAIM    'VDIANH   AM)   TIIKIK    ln|,K-I,(»l{|.; 

is  lit  onco  (IccK'cd,  on  tlio  prctj'ncci  tliat  llu»y  may 
1)000111(5  Wcndi^^'oos,  or  iiiiin-oators.  Tlieso  are  usually 
killed  l»y  strallli— as,  for  instanco,  l)y  a  blow  from  lu?- 
luiul — or,  at  least,  woriMjpto  a  vory  fow years  a«^().  Mr. 
lY'ter  Mackenzie,  when  in  char;;e  of  the  Hudson  Hay 
estahlisiiment  at  IJngava,  was  instrumontal  in  saving 
the  lite  of  ii  poor  lunatic;  whose?  death  had  heen  re- 
solved upon.  He  iiuluced  the  sull'erer's  companions 
to  tie  him  up  to  a  wooden  frame  so  that  he  could 
do  no  danuige,  and  in  a  short  time  he  recovereil  his 
reason. 

The  Indian  belief  in  "Wendigoes,  or  "NVindigoes,  is 
one  of  the  most  (inidy  rooted  of  their  many  supersti- 
tions, nill'erent  groups  of  Indians  draw  different  ])ict- 
ures  of  these  fabulous  beings,  all  being  creations  of 
their  own  imaginations.  They  are  always  evil  spirits 
and  eaters  of  men.  Some  oven  profess  to  have  seen 
them ;  either  in  the  form  of  a  sorcerer,  of  a  man-eating 
moose,  or  in  that  of  a  Cycloj),  whose  height  and 
voracity  were  only  equalled  by  the  Polyphemus  of 
Homeric  mythology.  The  Nascapees  apply  the  name 
Atxhi'iii  to  these  monsters,  and  at  times  they  frighten 
themselves  into  believing  that  they  have  seen  their 
tracks,  and  immediately  flee  to  some  other  ])art  of 
the  country.  There  is  a  tributary  of  the  St.  Maurice 
called  the  Windigo  River,  of  which  Mr.  A.  T.  Genest, 
P.L.S.,  who  surveyed  it  for  the  government,  says  : 

"A  legend  dear  to  Indian  medicine- men,  and  respected  by  the 
Ti:te»  <le  lioule,  says  that  tiie  AVindigo,  a  sort  of  semi-devil,  has  re- 
served this  river  for  his  own  exclusive  use,  and  that  he  carries  on  a 
phantasmagoric  hunt  while  storms  are  raging.  This  is  the  reason 
why  the  Indians  do  not  frequent  the  Windigo  River.     The  otter 


Till;    M»tNTA(KNAI8    INDIANS    AND   TIIKIU    !•(  »I,K-I.<>I{K     UOO 

rotim.s  ill  pmcu.Hwiininlii;;  In  tlu;  rtipliln  uud  ill  lliu  fuol  of  llio  fulli, 
the  only  iluiil/eii  of  lliu  plucu." 

Just  ovnr  tlio  hoi^lil  of  land  ^'<)iii;(  from  tho  lioad- 
waters  of  tho  Ottiiwji  Iiiv(;r  towunls  Hudson  IJiiv  is 
Lako  Matclii  Afatiitoii,  or  Kvil  Spirit  Laico — a  l)»'aii- 
tiful  oxpaiiso  of  water  over  tliirty  iiiilos  in  circmnfer- 
enco.  Its  iiaiiio  ori;,niiatod  in  tho  foUowiii^^  icoond, 
^ivon  to  Lantl  Survoyor  Ilonry  O'Sullivan,  of  tlio 
l*rovinuial  (Jrown  Lands  JJepartinont,  by  his  Indian 
guides:  "Many  years  iv^o  several  Indiiins  in  two  ca- 
noes were  chasin<;  a  hirgo  moose,  and  all  at  once 
both  tho  Indians  and  tho  moose  disappeared.  This 
happened  about  a  (juarter  of  a  milo  from  shore,  on  a 
calm  day."  Since  that  time  tho  Indians  are  as  much 
afraid  to  ap[)roacii  the  locality  as  they  are  to  visit  tho 
\V"indi<.;o  Kiver.  No  inducement  can  makc^  them  go 
near  it.  "While  j\Ir.  O'Sullivan  was  surveying  the  lako 
tho  Indians  pointed  out  tho  spot  where  the  fatality 
occurred,  but  none  of  them  would  accompany  him 
there. 

Tho  great  drawback  to  the  work  of  the  missionaries 
among  the  Indians  is  tho  inlluenco  exercised  over 
tho  other  members  of  tho  tribe  by  their  jugglers,  sor- 
cerers, or  medicine-men.  When  the  Jesuit  Father  Lo 
Jeuno  undertook  tc*  learn  their  language,  one  of  these 
sorcerers  proffered  his  aid,  but  palmed  olF  upon  tho 
missionary,  says  Parkman,  tho  foulest  words  in  the 
language  as  the  ecjuivalent  of  things  spiritual.  So  it 
happened  that  while  Le  Jeuno  sought  to  explain  to 
tho  assembled  wigwam  some  points  of  Christian  doc- 
trine, ho  was  interrupted  by  peals  of  laughter  from 
men,  children,  and  scjuaws. 


yiO     THE    MONTAONAI8    INDIANS    AND    THEIR    FOLK-LORE 

After  the  lapse  of  more  than  two  liundred  years  the 
Indian  behef  in  jugglery,  or,  as  they  call  it,  U'anze,  is 
virtuall}''  unchanged,  being  clung  to  by  many  profess- 
ing Christians.  And  considering  the  number  of  high- 
ly cultured  ])eople  who  believe  in  spiritualism,  and  the 
really  remarkable  doings  and  sayings  of  some  of  these 
Indian  sorcerers,  the  influence  possessed  by  these  lat- 
ter upon  their  untutored  fellow-countrymen  is  certain- 
ly not  surprising.  There  is  little  doubt  that  these 
Indian  jugglers  have  played  and  experimented  with 
certain  occult  sciences  for  centuries  before  the  study 
of  necromancy  and  so-called  spirit-rappings,  magnetic 
fluid,  etc.,  had  engaged  the  attention  of  the  modern 
civilized  Avorld. 

The  heathen  Indians  believe  in  the  existence  of  two 
divinities  whom  they  call  Manitous,  or  spirits;  but 
this  belief  is  so  confused  that  they  can  give  no  definite 
account  of  it.  According  to  the  prevailing  theology, 
there  is  a  good  and  a  bad  ^Manitou.  The  Good  Spirit 
is  good  essentially.  He  made  the  earth  and  the  Ind- 
ians, and  accords  them  whatever  of  success  they  have 
in  all  their  enterprises.  So  from  him  there  is  nothing 
to  fear.  And  because  there  is  no  reason  to  fear  him 
they  neither  worship  him  nor  pay  him  any  attention 
whatever,  James  Mackenzie,  of  the  old  Xorthwest 
Company,  Avho  travelled  through  the  country  of  the 
Kascapees  in  1808,  relates  that  those  Indians  believe 
also  in  an  inferior  deity,  who  made  the  different  kinds  of 
wild  animals,  and  distributed  them  among  the  Indians 
in  proportion  to  their  merits  and  the  fervency  of  their 
prayers.  This  god  is  therefore  adored  whenever  the 
belly  feels  concerned.     He  is  not  longer  than  their  lit- 


THE   MONTAONAIS    INDIANS   AND  THEIR    FOLK-LORE     311 

tie  finger,  is  dressed  in  wliite,  and  called  Ka-wah-api- 
ft/iit,  or  the  White  Spirit.  The  Bad  Spirit  is  a  busy, 
meddling  body,  forever  planning  mischief  to  counter- 
act the  good  works  of  KcMixib-ajn-shlt.  They  there- 
fore desire  to  pro})itiate  him,  so  that  since  he  has 
neither  the  power  nor  the  will  to  do  them  good  he 
will  at  least  do  them  no  harm.  Father  Arnaud  and 
other  educated  men  have  testified  to  the  wondrous 
power  of  some  of  the  Indian  jugglers,  who  manipulate 
the  magnetic  fluid,  or  whatever  else  it  may  be,  with 
greater  facility  than  the  most  eminent  magicians  of 
civilization,  the  remarkable  movements  of  their  cahanes 
while  they  are  engaged  at  their  divination  being  even 
more  surprising  than  those  of  the  tables  used  in  spirit- 
rapping.  If  fraud  and  humbug  constitute  these  jug- 
glers' chief  stock-in-trade,  there  is  certainly  much 
method  and  skill  in  their  imposture.  The  Eoman 
Catholic  missionaries,  when  warning  their  converts 
against  the  sorcerers,  accuse  them  of  much  worse 
than  deception,  alleging  that  the  wonders  that  they 
perform  are  done  with  the  assistance  of  the  devil. 

A  rather  famous  Nascapee  juggler  from  Lake  Mis- 
tassini, Thomas  Nepartee  by  name,  undertook  to  juggle 
for  me  in  August,  1894,  on  the  banks  of  the  Mistassini 
River.  I  was  accompanied  at  the  time  by  Mr.  Archi- 
bald Stuart,  of  Feddal  House,  Braco,  Perthshire,  Scot- 
land, who  had  recently  returned  from  his  trip  to 
Great  Lake  Mistassini,  during  which  he  had  learned 
much  from  his  Indian  guides  of  the  wonders  of  their 
jugglers.  Accordingl}^  Mr.  Nepartee's  ofi'er  was  ac- 
cepted, and  the  Indian,  immediately  after  nightfall, 
built  himself  a  tepee,  or  cahane,  by  firmly  planting 


813     THE   MONTAGNAIS    INDIANS    AND  THEIR    FOLK-LORE 

three  heavy  stakes  in  the  ground  —  one  of  birch,  one 
of  aspen,  and  the  third  of  some  other  wood,  bending 
them  down  and  fastening  them  together  in  the  centre, 
and  covering  over  the  whole  with  bkmkets  in  lieu  of 
bark.  Soon  was  heard  the  peculiar  sound  of  the  in- 
cantation of  the  Indian  from  within.  Then  there  was 
silence  fen*  a  while.  After  a  short  delay  the  cahmte  was 
swayed  violently  by  unseen  hands,  and  in  a  manner 
that  it  was  subsequently  found  impossible  for  any  one 
of  the  others  present  to  cause  while  remaining  within 
it.  Then  followed  the  sound  of  the  sorcerer's  conver- 
sation with  the  spirits,  during  which  the  latter  gave 
the  Indian  the  answers  to  our  questions.  ]\Ir.  Stuart's 
house  in  Scotland  was  exactly  described  to  the  juggler 
by  the  spirit  of  the  seagull  that  was  sent  over  the 
ocean  to  inspect  it.  Some  of  my  questions  were  not 
so  easily  answered,  the  juggler  pretending  that  the 
spirit  sent  for  the  necessary  information  had  not  yet 
returned,  AVe  were  undecided  at  the  time  whether 
to  return  to  Quebec  next  day  from  Lake  St.  John  or 
to  try  another  angling  trip  in  a  different  direction. 
Nepartee  told  me  to  make  the  trip,  and  said  I  should 
certainly  not  have  very  much  luck,  but  should  secure 
at  least  one  large  fish  and  perhaps  half  a  dozen 
other  good  ones.  Meeting  Mr.  A.  N  Chene}''  the 
next  day  at  Roberval,  I  was  only  too  happy  to  ac- 
company him  on  a  trip  to  La  Grande  Decharge,  and, 
though  the  fact  failed  to  strike  me  at  the  time,  I 
found,  upon  returning  home  and  looking  up  my  memo- 
randum of  what  the  Indian  had  told  me,  that  he  had 
correctly  foretold  my  exact  catch  of  fish — a  fourteen- 
pound  pike  and  six  moderately-sized  ouananiche.     It 


'  \ 


THE    MONTAONAIS    INDIANS    AND  TIIF:IR    FOLK-LORE     H13 

is  true  that  he  badly  bhm«lered  in  answering  questions 
about  my  family,  and  I  told  the  other  Indians  so,  too, 
adding  that  Nepartee  was  only  an  impostor,  and  that 
there  was  no  other  voice  than  his  own  in  his  pretend- 
ed conversations  with  the  s})irits.  None  of  them  would 
believe  in  my  theory  of  ventriloquism,  however,  and 
as  for  the  mistakes  made  by  the  spirits  or  their  minis- 
ter in  replying  to  my  in(;[uirios,  they  frankly  told  me 
that  it  was  hard  to  conjure  for  strangers,  but  that  nei- 
ther the  spirits  nor  the  conjurer  ever  deceived  thcia. 
We  had  difficulty  in  obtaining  from  them  the  admis- 
sion that  the  juggler  did  not  always  tell  them  cor- 
rectly where  to  find  game,  but  they  insisted  that  when 
he  so  failed  them  it  was  because  of  his  want  of  will 
instead  of  his  lack  of  power.  And  these  are  so-called 
Christian  Indians,  too. 

Mr.  Henry  Connolly  tells  of  a  Xascapee  conjurer 
named  Petshika,  who  many  years  ago,  at  Northwest 
River,  told  at  night  of  the  coming  arrival  of  an  expect- 
ed Hudson  Bay  vessel  on  the  morrow,  and  while  ap- 
parently receiving  this  information  from  the  spirits  in 
his  cabane,  burst  into  a  fit  of  laughter,  exclaiming: 
"  What  funny  animal  is  this  that  I  see  on  the  boat  T' 
Nobody  at  the  post  knew  that  any  animal  Avas  being 
brought  out ;  but  when  the  ship  arrived  next  day, 
exactly  as  Petshika  had  foretold,  it  was  found  that 
it  had  a  horse  on  board — the  first  of  its  species  that 
the  juggler  had  ever  seen. 

James  Mackenzie,  of  the  old  Northwest  Company, 
who  has  been  already  referred  to,  described,  as  fol- 
lows, in  a  manuscript  sketch  now  ninety  years  old, 
the  professional  conduct  of  an  Indian  sorcerer : 


314     THE   M0NTAGNAI8   INDIANS    AND  THEIR   FOLK-LOKE 

"  Wiirn  one  of  them  ontors  tlie  place  of  worship  prepared  for  liia 
rerc])ti()ii,  with  a  rattle  in  his  hand  and  a  stick  across  in  iiis  mouth, 
the  most  silent  awe  reigns  around  him,  and  llie  most  sanguine  ex- 
pectations are  formed  hy  the  beholders  of  the  success  of  liie  ma- 
gician's slcill  in  petitioning  the  god  of  animals  and  in  scaring  the 
devil.  He  is  no  sooner  seated  in  his  '  temple  '  than  the  countr}'  re- 
sounds with  the  noise  of  his  rattles  and  singing,  wiiicii  latter  is 
composed  of  a  repetition  of  'Yd-tat-shis  shiku-unie  kui,  Ya-tat- 
shis  n/iiku-uiiie  kui,  Ki  ka-ka-iti  ski  shi  ka  ma  ni,  ki  kdkani  she 
ka  mn  ni.'  (Great  Master  of  animals  among  the  clouds,  bless  us, 
and  let  us  continue  to  make  as  good  a  hunt  as  usual.)  After  he 
has  worked  himself  into  convulsions  by  his  contortions  and  bowl- 
ings till  rivulets  of  perspiration  trickle  from  his  naked  body,  he 
cries,  in  a  sort  of  ecstasy  :  'He  comes,  he  comes  ;  I  see  him,  I  see 
him  ;  he  is  dressed  very  fine.'  The:i  the  spell  is  over,  the  charm 
complete,  and  the  good  doctor,  after  recovering  his  exhausted 
spirits,  relates  to  the  anxious  b^'standers  his  c(mversation  with 
Ka-itab-api-Hhit,  what  success  may  be  expected  in  the  chase,  and 
how  he  has  concluded  a  treaty  of  peace  with  their  common  enemy, 
the  devil." 

It  is  claimed  that  no  matter  how  firmly  an  Indian 
conjurer  is  tied  up  before  entering  his  juggling-booth, 
he  will  in  a  few  minutes  completely  free  himself  of 
his  bonds.  He  compels  his  wife's  fidelity  by  profess- 
ing to  be  able  to  see  at  all  times  whatever  she  may  be 
doing. 

The  squaws  are  compelled  to  be  the  drudges  of  their 
husbands,  and  are  usually  only  permitted  to  eat  after 
them.  The  daintiest  pieces  of  the  game  they  kill  are 
only  eaten  by  the  men.  According  to  the  latter,  it 
would  injure  their  future  hunting  prospects  to  give 
any  of  these  titbits  to  a  woman.  Yet  in  cases  of  act- 
ual  want,  an  Indian,  to  do  him  justice,  Avill  leave  his 
last  piece  of  food  for  his  squaw.  And  when  utter  des- 
titution in  the  woods  is  followed  by  starvation,  as  not 


THK    MONTAGNAIS    INDIANS   AND  THEIR   FOLK-LORE     315 

infrequently  occurs  in  the  interior,  the  Indian  woman 
is  always  the  hist  to  succumb.  In  times  of  dire  dis- 
tress they  sing  and  dance  till  they  grow  weak,  in  order 
tliiit  in  the  dreams  ihat  come  to  tliem  later  tiiey  may 
obtain  a  view  of  the  locality  in  which  they  may  ob- 
tain deer.  In  sickness  they  sing  till  they  are  over- 
come by  sleep,  in  ortler  to  dream  of  the  ])roper  reme- 
dial herbs  and  of  the  party  who  caused  tlieir  sickness 
by  casting  his  malediction  upon  them. 

On  no  account  will  a  Montagnais  or  Nascapee  give 
any  of  the  bones  of  the  animals  he  kills  to  his  dog. 
To  do  so  would  be  to  give  mortal  offence  to  the  spirit 
of  the  animal,  and  any  dog  that  by  accident  obtains 
such  bores  is  immediately  killed,  and  his  flesh  roasted 
and  devoured.  The  spirits  of  the  animals  they  hunt 
must  always  be  propitiated,  or  the  game  will  certain- 
ly keep  out  of  their  way.  The  bear  is  perhaps  more 
highly  honored  by  them  than  any  other  animal,  and 
opinions  differ  as  to  their  real  object  and  intention  in 
placing  his  head  upon  a  pole  with  a  piece  of  tobacco 
in  his  mouth.  While  some  contend  that  it  is  simply 
to  show  other  Indians  that  bears  have  been  found 
there,  as  suggested  by  Father  Arnaud,  or  to  keep  the 
skull  beyond  thd  reach  of  dogs,  others  say  that  it  is  to 
honor  the  animal  and  propitiate  the  spirit  of  its  kind. 
Maybe  they  intend  to  accomplish  both  objects.  It  is 
of  very  little  use  for  a  stranger  to  inquire  of  an  Ind- 
ian respecting  his  beliefs  and  superstitions.  The  more 
the  latter  thinks  one  determined  to  find  out  some- 
thing in  regard  to  these  matters,  the  more  determined 
he  is  that  the  questioner  shall  not  succeed.  Ply  him 
with  inquiries  so  shaped  that  they  call  for  only  an 


316     THE   MONTAGNAIS   INDIANS   AND  T1IE114    luLK-LoKE 

jifflmiiitivo  or  negative  reply,  and  lie  will  either  answer 
that  he  does  not  know  or  with  an  invariahle  "Yes." 

At  times  cjuite  a  number  of  bears'  skulls  may  bo 
seen  u[)on  the  same  pole.  Occasionally  the  heads  of 
beavers  are  similarly  treated.  The  other  bones  of  the 
animals  in  the  chase  are  buried  i'^  the  ground,  thrown 
into  dee})  water,  or  consumed  with  lire. 

Among  the  Tsascapees  the  painted  skin  of  a  bear 
cub  forms  an  essential  part  of  the  outlit  of  their  con- 
jurers or  medicine -men.  By  them,  as  by  the  Mon- 
tagnais,  the  bear,  of  all  animals,  is  regarded  with  the 
greatest  reverence  and  respect.  Mr.  James  ]\rackenzie 
describes  the  feast  which  occurs  among  these  poor 
people  when  the  first  cub  of  the  season  is  killed  by 
any  member  of  an  encampment.  The  skin  is  stripped 
entire  from  the  carcass,  is  stuffed  with  hay,  and  the 
head  and  paws  decorated  with  beads,  quills,  and  ver- 
milion. The  blood,  entrails,  and  liesh  are  next  cooked, 
and  all  the  people  of  the  horde  are  invited  to  partake 
of  it  in  honor  of  Kawabapishit,  to  whose  paternal 
bounty  they  attribute  the  luscious  meal.  In  the  cen- 
tre of  the  feast  the  skinny  deity  is  placed,  grinnin<^, 
•while  the  drum  beats,  and  the  guests  devour  the  flesh 
in  silence.  The  flesh  having  been  torn  from  the 
bones,  the  latter  are,  with  much  ceremony,  suspended 
to  a  pole,  which  has  been  previously  erected  for  that 
purpose.  "  Should  a  dog,  amid  all  this  religious  mum- 
mery, be  sacrilegious  enough  to  pass  any  of  the  fat  or 
flesh  between  his  unhallowed  jaws,  the  vile  animal  is 
instantly  slaughtered  to  appease  the  wrath  of  the  an- 
gry deity,  the  flesh  is  devoured,  and  its  bones  in  turn  are 
hung  to  a  tree  " — a  ghastly  warning  to  all  of  his  kind. 


BEAKS    SKULLS 


TIIK    M0NTAONAI8    INDIANS    AND  TllKlU    FoLKLoUK     3l7 

Tlio  Arontngnais  also  invito  all  their  neighbors  to  a 
feast  upon  the  ilesii  of  a  bear  whenever  they  kill  one 
in  the  woods,  whether  a  large  or  small  one.  They 
consitler  tlie  fat  of  the  animal  the  most  delicious  of 
meats. 

While  no  animal  is  held  by  them  in  equal  venera- 
tion, its  chase  is  their  favorite  occupation.  Often, 
when  improperly  armed,  they  are  bold  to  the  extent 
of  foolhardiness  in  attacking  it,  and  several  of  them 
have  fallen  victims  to  this  indiscretion.  ]\[anv  who 
have  escaped  in  these  hand-to-hand  contests  carry 
miirks  of  the  fray  about  with  them  to  the  day  of  their 
death.  The  missionary  Arnaiul,  in  one  of  his  letters 
to  Ilis  Grace  the  Archbishop  of  (Quebec,  describes  the 
perils  to  which  these  poor  people  subject  themselves 
in  the  woods,  and  tells  of  their  tales  of  adventure  to 
him.  when  sitting  around  the  camp-fire  at  night.  "  Of- 
ten," he  says,  '*  will  one  terminate  his  story  of  an  en- 
countei'  with  a  bear  by  showing  the  mark  of  a  bite 
ujion  his  arm.  Another  uncovers  his  leg,  where  there 
is  still  a  deep  wound.  A  third  recalls  how  he  broke 
the  stock  of  his  gun  in  defending  himself  in  a  hand-to- 
hand  duel  with  Bruin.  One  relates  the  circumstances 
under  which  liis  old  father  succumbed  and  became  the 
prey  of  an  infuriated  bear.  A  last  one  assures  us  that 
he  would  inevitably  have  been  killed  but  for  the  as- 
sistance of  his  dog,  for  he  was  felled  to  the  earth  and 
momentarily  expecting  to  be  devoured,  when  the  re- 
])eated  howlings  and  deep  bites  of  his  dog  compelled 
the  bear  to  turn  upon  the  latter,  and  gave  the  de- 
sired opportunity  to  the  hunter." 

The  moose  is  another  animal  for  which  the  Indians 


yiB    THE   MONTAONAIS   INOIAKS    ASl)  TIIKIU    lul.K-LoKK 

have  a  spuciiil  rovoronco,  and  tliey  never  kill  one  with- 
out mentally  pleading,  "  Forgive  n»e,  O  Moose  1" 

At  Lake  Tscliotagania  and  elsewhere,  1  have  found 
the  heads  of  large  i)ike  placed  on  poles  lu'ar  the  edge 
of  the  water,  just  as  the  skulls  of  hears  and  Ix'avors 
usually  are. 

In  Eastern  Lahrador,  so  long  as  game  was  i)lentiful, 
the  Nascapees  cared  little  for  lish  or  lishing.  Some 
of  them,  when  they  took  ill,  hlamed  a  lish  for  huing 
the  cause  of  it,  and  wrapped  a  i)ieco  of  llshing-net 
about  the  throat.  A  more  westerly  band,  that  depend 
largely  on  lish  as  a  means  of  subsistence,  told  the 
Jesuit  missionary  Lalement  that  the  spirit  of  the  lish- 
ingnot  had  once  aj)peared  to  them  in  hunuin  form, 
com[)laining  that  he  had  lost  his  wife,  and  warning 
them  that  unless  they  could  find  him  another  eipuilly 
immaculate  they  would  catch  no  more  lish.  These 
Indians,  who  hunt  and  iish  in  the  Ottawa  district, 
were  in  the  habit,  like  the  llurons,  of  marrying  their 
nets  every  year  to  two  young  girls  of  the  tribe.  Mere 
children  were  chosen,  because  it  was  indis|)ensable 
that  the  brides  should  be  virgins.  The  net  was  held 
between  them,  and  its  spii'it  was  harangued  by  one  of 
the  chiefs,  who  exhorted  him  to  do  his  part  in  furnisli- 
ing  the  tribe  with  food,  while  the  lish  were  frecjuently 
also  addressed  from  the  shore,  and  urged  to  take  cour- 
age and  be  caught,  "with  the  assurance  that  the  utmost 
respect  should  be  shown  to  their  bones.* 

The  territory  hunted  by  each  Indian  family  in  Lab- 
rador is  as  much  its  own  for  hunting  purposes  as  is  a 

*See  Relation  des  llurons  (1639),  and  Ze  Orand  Voyage  da  Pays 
des  JIurons,  by  Sagurd. 


Tin:    MONTAONAIH   INDIANH    AND  TIIKIK    FoLK-LOKE     81« 

farmer's  Hold  for  cultivation.  Soiiio  iiiintors  have 
several  liuiidrod  square  miles  of  territt)ry  in  their 
respective  game;  preserves.  JJears  and  caribou  and 
such  like  roaminf^  animals  are  killed  wherever  seen,  if 
wanted,  but  beavers  and  similar  game  and  fur-bearitig 
animals  that  iidiabit  restricted  areas  are  the  property 
of  the  liunter  within  whose  territory  they  reside  and 
breed.  For  any  i)ut  their  owner  to  kill  them  would 
be  as  unjustiluible  as  the  shooting  down  of  a  neigh- 
bor's ox. 

An  Indian  never  loses  liis  way  in  the  woods,  being 
always  able  to  lind  his  road  over  a  route  once  followed 
by  liim,  and  also  to  penetrate  through  forests  that  ho 
has  never  seen,  if  only  another  Indian  siiows  him  the 
course  in  a  rough  draft  upon  a  piece  of  bark.  Even 
those  of  them  who  cannot  write  display  marked 
ability  in  communicating  wiUi  each  other  in  tiio 
woods.  They  telegra})h  by  means  of  smoke,  and  it  is 
astonishing  how  fai*  olf  they  can  scent  it — always  for 
a  long  time  before  they  can  see  it  or  could  hear  a 
sound  from  its  vicinity.  If  they  expect  to  be  followed 
b}'^  another  l)arty  they  stick  a  piece  of  wood  in  the 
ground  u[)on  a  portage,  slanting  it  in  the  direction  in 
which  they  are  travelling.  Those  who  lind  it  will 
know  by  its  degree  of  inclination  whether  or  not  they 
who  planted  it  are  travelling  hurriedly  or  not.  If  it 
be  in  summer,  a  small  bough  or  piece  of  a  shrub  is 
fastened  to  the  stake,  and  by  the  extent  to  which  it 
has  become  withered  those  who  lind  it  will  know 
"when  it  was  placed  there.  If  a  hunter,  as  very  often 
happens,  has  to  make  a  detour  or  remain  behind  his 
squaw  in  search  of  game,  she  will  occasionally  indicate 


320     THE   MONTAGNAIS    INDIANS   AND   TIIEIK    FOLK-LOKE 

the  route  she  has  taken  by  sticks  placed  in  the  ground, 
to  which  she  has  attached  a  small  portion  of  her 
skirt. 

On  a  newly  opened-up  route  from  one  large  lake  or 
ri':3r  to  another  they  frequently  mark  on  a  blazed 
tree,  for  the  benefit  of  others,  the  number  of  portages 
to  be  encountered  on  the  way,  making  a  notch  for 
each  portage.  In  the  woods  they  never  destroy  any- 
thing tliat  can  be  useful  to  others.  Tent  poles  and 
pegs  and  beds  of  sapin  boughs  are  always  left  where 
used. 

All  their  conversation  is  soft  and  low.  A  Monta- 
gnais  or  Nascapee  Indian  never  speaks  loudly,  for 
everything  around  him  is  animate,  especially  in  sum- 
mer, and  in  winter  quietness  is  necessary  to  a  success- 
ful hunt.  In  summer  he  will  talk  but  little  about  his 
hunt  and  the  inhabitants  of  the  forest,  for  then  the 
trees  about  him  are  in  the  full  vigor  of  life,  with  their 
ears  wide  open,  and  they  may  warn  the  bear  and  the 
caribou  of  what  they  may  overhear. 

Ciiristianity  and  the  northerly  advance  of  civiliza- 
tion have  done  much  for  these  poor  people,  but  they 
still  cling  fondl}'-  to  many  of  their  old  superstitions. 
So  far  as  morality  and  respect  for  law  and  order  are 
concerned,  the  Montagnais  and  Nascapees  of  Labra- 
dor will  now,  as  a  rule,  compare  favorably  with  those 
boasting  a  loftier  Christianity  and  a  higher  plane  of 
civilization.  IIow  different  it  was  before  the  advent 
of  regular  missionaries  among  them  had  borne  fruit 
is  told  in  an  amusing  manner  by  James  Mackenzie. 
As  to  their  habits  in  the  early  part  of  the  century,  he 
tells  us  that  a  Nascapee  vail  take  as  many  wives  as  he 


THE    M0NTAGNAI8    INDIANS    AND   THEIR   FOLK-LORE     321 

can  maintain,  and  that,  so  far  from  discovering  any 
symptoms  of  jealousy  for  the  unequal  distribution  of 
favors,  these  females  address  each  other  as  sisters.  In 
the  Montagnais  he  found  concentrated  all  the  vices 
of  the  whites  and  Xascapees,  without  one  of  their  virt- 
uous qualities.  No  matter  how  viewed,  he  found 
them  neither  Nascapees  nor  whites,  but,  "  like  the 
mule  between  the  horse  and  the  ass,  a  spurious  breed 
between  both,  and  a  melancholy  instance  of  the  influ- 
ence of  European  manners  upon  the  morals  of  the  wild 
inhabitants  of  the  woods."  Speaking  of  their  newly 
wedded  couples,  he  declares  that  much  harmony 
reigns  between  them  till  a  false  step  of  the  bride's 
alarms  her  husband's  delicate  sentiments  of  honor, 
and  drives  him  for  redress  into  the  arms  of  another. 
The  ladies,  whether  married  or  unmarried,  young  or 
old,  are,  he  says,  much  inclined  to  gayety,and  their  con- 
sciences, in  their  ideas  of  chastity,  "  as  elastic  as  silk 
stockings.  The  men,  aware  of  this  disposition,  and 
naturally  jealous,  watch  them  very  closely,  particular- 
ly in  drinking  frolics.  Though  fond  of  rum  to  an  un- 
common excess,  some  of  them  keep  sober  to  guard  the 
movements  of  their  wives  and  daughters,  but,  at  the 
same  time,  they  carry  on  intrigues  of  their  own  with 
those  of  their  neighbors  ;  for  they,  no  more  than  their 
dear  ribs,  are  not  very  punctual  in  observing  the  tenth 
commandment."  In  regard  to  their  indifference  to 
personal  suffering  and  even  to  death,  he  quaintly  re- 
marks that  "  they  leave  this  life  with  as  little  struggle 
as  they  came  into  it." 

21 


323     THE   MONTAGNAIS  INDIANS   AND   TIIEIK   FOLK-LORE 

THE  MONTAGNAIS  LANGUAGE 

The  language  of  the  Montagnais  is  difficult,  and  is 
constantly  changing.  Many  of  the  words  employed 
in  the  earliest  books  of  devotion  prepared  for  the  use 
of  these  Indians  bv  their  Jesuit  missionaries  are  bare- 
ly  recognized  by  the  Montagnais  of  to-day.  The  same 
is  true  of  some  of  the  words  contained  in  the  vocabu- 
lary prepared  by  Mr.  James  Mackenzie  in  1808.  As 
an  instance  of  this  we  give  the  names  of  the  different 
months  of  the  year  as  furnished  by  Mr.  Mackenzie,  and 
also  as  now  in  common  use  among  these  people : 

MR.  MACKENZIE'S  VERSION 

January  (Tlie  great  moon) Tshipishinne. 

February  (Snow  falls  from  tlie  leaves)  Epiche-na-maskui  Plshime. 

March  (Eagle  moon) Mitisu  Pishime. 

April  (Bustard  moon) Nisliique  Pishime. 

May  (Budding  moon) Uabikum  Pishime. 

June  (Rutting  moon) Ui  sha-ku  Pishime. 

July  (Moulting  moon) Pinaueu  Pishime. 

August  (Caribou  horns  cast  their  moss)  Ushe-kau  Pishime. 

September  (The  leaf  turns  yellow) Uatshetshi  Pishime. 

October  (The  leaf  falls) Penatshi  Pishime. 

November  (The  fall  month) Takuatche  Pishime. 

December  (The  hard  or  severe  month).. T-She-pa-peu  Pishime. 

FROM   REV.  FATHER   ARNAUD'S    MONTAGNAIS 
CALENDAR,    1896 

January Tshe  Piishum. 

February Epsiminiskueu  Piishum. 

March Uenisk  Piishum. 

April Shishippiishum. 


THE   MONTAGNAIS   INDIANS  AND    THEIR   FOLK-LOKE    333 

May Nissi  Piishnm. 

June Uapokun  Piishum. 

July Shetan  Piishum. 

August Opu  Piislium. 

September Ushakau  Piishum. 

October Uasteshiau  Piishum. 

November Takuatslii  Piishum. 

December Piishimush. 

Most  of  the  Montagnais  who  serve  as  guides  for 
fishermen  speak  French,  and  some  of  them  a  little 
English.  It  will  doubtless  interest  anglers  visiting 
the  country  of  the  Indians  to  know  a  few  of  their 
words,  such  as  their  names  of  different  kinds  of  fisii, 
etc.     The  following  are  specimens  : 

Ouananiche Oiiananiche. 

Fish Na-meshe. 

Trout Matamek. 

Lake-trout  (Namaycush) Kokomesh. 

Salmon Ouchachoumac. 

Sea-trout Chouchachou,  or  Matamekoush. 

Pike Otshinosho,  or  Kinonge. 

"Whitefish Atikamek. 

Sucker Mikudji. 

Fishing-rod Kiskinache,  or  Quisquenache. 

Fishing-line Kiskinapi,  or  Quisquinapi. 

Fishing-hook Mekiskan,  or  Quisquan. 

Fish-spear Waswanipi. 

Bait Kusseiau,  or  Quishayo. 

Canoe Oush. 

Mosquito Chetimayo. 

Deer  fly Missauk. 

Bluebottle  fly Outschou. 

Caribou Atook,  or  Artique. 

Bear Mashk,  or  Mashkwa. 

Bear  cub Maskoush. 

Water Nipi. 


Home. 


324    THE   MONTAGNAIS    INDIANS    AND    THEIR   FOLK-LOEE 

River Slii-pi-shi,  or  Shi-pa. 

Lake Sba-lia-igan. 

Bark Ua-lat-shishe. 

Weeds Maska-shu. 

Branch Uti-ku-an. 

Mountain Otso. 

Fire Ishc-ko-to. 

Light Uaban. 

Cold Tlii-shine. 

"Warm Thi-shi-teu. 

Storm Ilini-ushum-madshi-tshi-shi-kau. 

Wind Lo-tin. 

Blowing T-shi-shi-lo-tin. 

Big,  or  many Mishta. 

Nats.  (Hence,  Kakounats,  the 
home  of  the  porcupine  ;  Mau- 
ito-nats,  in  the  dialect  of  west- 
erly tribes,  Paradise,  or  the 
home  of  the  Manitou  or  Great 
Spirit.) 

Good-day !  or.  How  do  you  do  ?.  .Quai !  Quai ! 

Yes Ha!  Ha! 

No Nainab,  or  Mawatch. 

,  ,      ,  ,  .         .  c  Statomiskatin  ;    or,  if  to  more 

Your  good  healtl'.  i  or,  A  toast        ^,  ,,        ,      ,    - 

<     than   one,  the   plural    form, 

^      I     Statomiskatinou. 

Friend Negauish,  or  Ni-ka-nishe. 

Give  me  ! Meelnah. 

Go  ashore  ! Ka-p.".. 

Go  on  ! Ma-tchi. 

And Kie. 

Is  it  going  to  rain  V Nama  tshika  tshimon  ? 

Cut !  (imperative) Thimish. 

I  cut Ni  Thimishin. 

The  Montagnais  is  an  exceedingly  expressive  lan- 
guage, and  very  rich  in  varieties  of  inflection.  Stu- 
dents are  much  puzzled  by  the  irregularities  of  its 


THE    M0NTAGNAI8   INDIANS    AND   THEIR   FOLK-LORE     335 

verbs.  "Mitshui"  (to  eat)  will  serve  as  an  example. 
The  imperative  form,  second  person  singular,  is 
"  Mitslm." 

Present  Indicative. 

Ni  mitshon I  eat. 

Tshi  mitshon Thou  eatest. 

Mitsho He  eats. 

Ni  mitshoniin We  eat. 

Tshi  mitshouou You  eat. 

Mitshots They  eat. 

Future  Indicative. 

Nika  niitslion I  will  eat. 

Tshika  mitshon Thou  wilt  eat. 

Etc. 

JVi  mitshon  is  one  of  several  transitive  verbs  in  Mon- 
tagnais,  which  are  modified  in  form  according  as  they 
have  animate  or  inanimate  objects.  Many  inanimate 
thinofs  are  endowed  with  life  in  the  minds  of  the  Ind- 
ians,  especially  if  they  are  of  value  to  them.  Bread 
may  be  taken  as  an  example.  In  the  woods  they  can 
seldom  obtain  it.  They  will  therefore  say  ni  iiiuau 
pohuejiJcan  for  "  I  eat  bread,"  while  "  I  eat  an  onion  " 
is  simply  ni  'mitshon  shikahushu.  If  it  is  fish,  in 
general,  that  they  eat,  or  a  poor  variety  of  it,  they 
similarly  employ  the  ordinary  form  of  the  verb — ni 
mitshon.  If  it  be  trout  or  ouananiche,  on  the  other 
hand,  or  any  other  tasty  and  valued  species,  the 
form  is  ni  muau.  -It  is  the  same  thing  with  them 
in  selling  as  in  eating.  "I  sell  a  fish"  is  ntatanan 
nameshe.  "I  sell  a  salmon"  is  ntitainau  oucha- 
caoitmac.  Furs,  to  them,  have  value  of  course,  and 
so  are  animate;  and  in  speaking  of  them  they  will 


326    THE    MO>iTAG>'AlS    INDIANS   AND    TIIEIK   FOLK-LOKE 

consequently  say  niitamau  for  "  sell,"  instead  of 
ntataaan. 

So  exhaustive  are  the  various  forms  of  the  Monta- 
gnais  verbs  that  one  of  the  Jesuit  missionaries,  who  was 
an  authority  on  the  lanouage,  described  it  as  consist- 
ing almost  exclusively  of  them.  There  are  no  less  than 
ten  conjugations  of  these  verbs.  That  tr  which  any 
particular  one  belongs  is  determined  by  the  termina- 
tion of  not  less  than  two  of  its  inflected  parts;  the 
usual  test  being  the  relation  between  the  first  and 
third  persons  singular  of  the  present  indicative.  A 
verb,  for  instance,  of  which  the  first  and  third  persons 
singular  of  the  present  indicative  end  in  an  and  au  re- 
spectively, belongs  to  the  first  conjugation. 

The  following  diagram,  prei)ared  at  my  request  by 
the  Rev.  Father  Lemoine,  author  of  a  manuscript 
Montagnais  grammar  and  dictionary,  shows  the  dis- 
tinguishing features  of  the  various  conjugations: 


1.  au-au,  as. 
3.  an-eu,  as.. 


(  Sliiitshitan I  love. 

"  /  Sliatshitaii He  loves. 

j  Ashtuan I  extinguish. 

'  (  Ashlueu lie  extinguishes. 

„  (  Tipelten I  govern. 

3.  en-am,  as ■]_,.'   ,^  ^° 

(  Tipeitam lie  gi    erns. 

.  .  (  Shaskieu I  light. 

4.  en-ira,  as \  ^,,     ...  tt    i-  i  . 

(  bhaskuin He  lights. 

(  liinikashon,  or  -un I  am  called. 

5.  on,oruu-o,  as...-]    •;.  .  tt    •       n   » 

(  jjmikusho He  is  called. 

^    .     .  i  Takushiu I  arrive. 

6.  lu-in,  as i  rr  i      ,  •  tt 

<  Takushm He  arrives. 

„    .     .  (  Miloshin I  am  handsome. 

7.  m-iu,  as \  ,,.,    ,  .  tt    •    ,       i 

(  jMuoshiu He  is  handsome. 

Q    .  ^  Ilinishin I  am  clever. 

/  Iliuisho lie  is  clever. 


THE  MONTAUNAIS  INDIANS  AND  TUEIK  JOLKLORE     337 

9.  kan-tseu,  as \  Jf'^'^*!""' l^f'L 

(  Mauntseu He  builds. 

10.  ui«-uio,a3 1  ;•!"!"!" i^']?- 

(  llmiuio He  lives. 


An  illustration  of  the  many  forms  of  some  of  these 
conjuoations  is  afi'ordod  by  the  following: 

Ni  tipeltcn I  rule  or  govtrn. 

Ni  lipeliinau I  govern  liii ,.  or  her. 

Ni  lipelimitishuii I  govern  myself. 

Ni  tiiieltamuaii I  govern  for  him,  or  her. 

Ni  tii)eUainu!iu I  govern  liim,  orber,  for  him,  or  her. 

Ni  tipelimokou I  am  governed. 

Ni  tipelimoko I  um  governed  by  him,  or  her. 

Ni  tipelimokoshiu I  am  tit  to  be  governed. 

Ni  tipelimitonan We  govern  one  another. 

Kecent  vears  have  witnessed  a  radical  chanf^e  in  the 
appearance  of  the  Montagnais  language  as  printed  and 
written  by  the  Oblat  missionaries.  These  zealous  men, 
for  the  pur})ose  of  simplifying  the  art  of  reading  for 
their  Indian  converts,  have  reduced  the  letters  of  the 
alphabet  to  sixteen,  having  eliminated  b,  c,  d,  f,  q,  v, 
w,  X,  y,  z. 

It  has  been  well  remarked  that  in  the  conjugation 
of  some  of  its  verbs  the  Montagnais  language  much 
resembles  the  Hebrew.  Perhaps  Father  Labrosse 
took  this  fact  into  consideration  in  formulating  his 
theory  as  to  the  origin  of  these  Indians ! 

Little  matters  it  what  their  pedigree!  In  the 
waters  that  are  the  highways  through  their  Northern 
hunting-grounds  they  are  the  most  skilful  canoemen 
and  best  of  guides.     Ashore,  in  the  practically  track- 


328     THE  M0NTAGNAI8  INDIANS   AND  TIIEIK  FOLK-LORE 

less  forest,  they  are  the  most  polite  and  obliging  of 
servants.  No  domestic  was  ever  more  particular 
about  the  comfort  of  her  mistress  than  these  Monta- 
gnais  are  in  promoting  that  of  their  patrons  in  camp 
or  canoe.  They  know  every  pool  and  almost  every 
springhole  where  fish  are  likely  to  be  found  in  the 
country  to  which  they  are  accustomed ;  and  for  the 
appliances  at  their  command  it  would  be  difficult  to 
find  their  superiors  as  c/ufs  de  cuisine. 

No  small  treat  is  in  store  for  the  epicure  or  an- 
gler who  places  himself  unreservedly  in  the  hands  of 
a  conple  of  these  red  men  for  a  camping,  canoeing, 
and  fishing  excursion.  As  a  rule  they  are  perfectly 
trustworthy,  and  few  of  them  are  given  to  making 
rash  promises.  If  to  your  anxious  query,  upon  break- 
ing camp  in  the  morning,  as  to  the  prospect  of  the 
day's  sport  either  of  your  Indians  ventures  the  reply, 
"  TsJiiha  miUhonoa  matamek  a-nootche-kaslii<jatt^''  it 
will  not  be  their  fault  if  you  do  not  catch  trout  that 
day.  If  ^''  Nika  mitshonan  ouananiche  oua-hatsJie''''  is 
what  one  of  them  remarks  to  the  other  over  the  even- 
ing meal,  you  may  thoroughly  test  the  casting -line 
destined  for  the  morrow's  use,  and  reasonably  antic- 
ipate as  appetizing  a  fish  dinner  next  day  as  ever  was 
served.  Neither  ouanai»Uie  nor  trout,  freshly  caught 
and  fried  witlj^  slices  of  bacon  or  salt  pork,  is  to  be 
despised  in  the  woods,  but  is  not  to  be  compared 
with  this  fish  well  wrapped  in  leaves  gathered  for 
the  purpose  by  the  Indians,  and  baked  in  the  hot 
embers;  and  much  less  with  one  of  either,  split  open, 
skewered  back  flat  with  slips  of  willow,  and  roasted 
at  a  stake  stuck  firmly  in  the  ground  before  a  clear, 


THE  M0NTAGNAI8  INDIANS  AND  TIIKIK  FOLK-LOKK     •V2\) 

hot  firo.  The  fish  tlius  cooked  swells  into  large  blis- 
ters far  drawn  out  by  the  heat,  until  it  is  more  than 
twice  its  natural  thickness  and  as  light  as  a  puff-ball. 
It  is  a  real  triumph  of  culinary  art. 

Both  fish  and  small  game  are  frequently  also 
wrapped  in  blue  clay  and  baked  in  the  fire,  emerging 
from  their  fiery  furnace  dainty  morsels  fit  for  the 
gods. 

I  cannot  wish  for  the  true  angler  and  lover  of  these 
Northern  woods  and  waters  any  more  enjoyable  ex- 
perience than  many  that  have  been  mine  in  the  com- 
pany of  Montagnais  guides  in  camp  and  canoe. 

To  their  memory — to  many  more  merry  meetings 
with  both  Afontagnais  and  ouananiche — to  my  readers, 
and  especially  to  the  enjoyment,  good  sport,  and  bet- 
ter health  of  such  of  them  as  may  pay  a  visit  to  the 
Canadian  environment  of  the  ouananiche — 

"  STATOMISKATIN-OU 1" 


LIST    OF   AUTHORITIES    CONSULTED    IN   THE 
PREPARATION  OF  THE  FOREGOING  WORK 


Abbot,  The  ;  Sir  Walter  Scott. 

Atliilo  and  Purkc  ;  The  Sea  and  the  Rod. 

American  Angler,  The. 

American  Field,  The. 

American  Fishes  ;  Dr.  C.  Rrown  Gonde. 

American  Game  Fishes  ;  G.  O.  Shields. 

Ancient  and  IModern  Fish  Tattle  ;  Rev.  Dr.  Badham. 

Angler  in  Canada,  An  ;  Charles  Lauraan. 

Angler's  Manual ;  see  "  Ilowitt's." 

Angler's  Note-book,  The. 

Angler,  The  Complete  ;  Walton  and  Cotton. 

Angling,  Art  of  ;  see  "Barker's  Delight." 

Angling  Literature ;  Blakey's. 

Arnaud,  Rev.  Father  ;   Letters  in  Rapports  des  Missions;  Tshishte- 

kiikan  tshe  apatstals  ilnut8. 
Art  of  Angling  ;  see  "  Barker's  Delight." 
Atkin!-,  C.  G. ;  Reports  on  the  landlocked  salmon  of  Maine  to  State 

Fishery  Commission,  to  U.  S.  Fish  Commission,  and  in  personal 

correspondence. 
"At  the  Sign  of  the  Balsam  Bough";  Dr.  Henry  Van  Dyke,  iu 

Harper's  Magazine. 

Babel,  Rev.  Father  ;  Letters  in  Rapports  des  Missions. 
Biidham,  Rev.  Dr. ;  Ancient  and  Modern  Fish  Tattle. 
Barker's  Delight,  or  Art  of  Angling. 

Berner,  Dame  Juliana  ;  The  Treatyse  of  Fysshynge  wyth  an  Angle 
(attributed). 


883  LIST    OF   AUTIIOltlTIES   CONSULTED 

Bibliographical  Catalogue  of  English  Writers  on  Angling  and  Ich- 

tliyology  ;  Smith's. 
Bibliotheca  Piscatoria  ;  Westwood  and  Satchell. 
Blackwood's  Magazine. 
Blakey's  Angling  Literature. 
Bouchette's  Topographical  Dictionary  of  Canada. 
Brackett,  Walter  M. ;  personal  correspondence. 
British  Fishes  ;  Yarrell. 
Buies,  A. ;  Le  Saguenay. 
Bulletins  U.  S.  Fish  Commission. 
Burge,  Lorenzo  ;  Pre-Glacial  Man  and  the  Aryan  Race. 
Burroughs,  John  ;  Locusts  and  Wild  Honey. 

Canada,  Reports  of  Geological  Survey  of. 

Canadian  Magazine. 

Canadian  Sportsman. 

Catalogue  of  Englisli  Writers  on  Angling  and  Ichthyology  ;  Smith. 

Chalk  Stream  Studies ;  .Charles  Kingsley. 

Chambers,  E.  T.;  Notes  on  Lake  St.  John  read  before  Natural  His- 
tory Society  of  Montreal. 

Chambers,  E.  T.  D. ;  on  Canadian  Sports  in  Baedeker's  Canada,  and 
on  the  Ouananiche  in  Harper's  Magazine,  Shooting  and  Fishing, 
Forest  and  Stream. 

Chambers,  Rev.  W.  Percy  ;  personal  reminiscences  and  correspond- 
ence. 

Chambtrs's  Encyclopcedia. 

Champlain  Lake  and  its  Shores  ;  Murray  and  Cheney. 

Charlevoix  ;  History  of  Canada. 

Chasse  et  Pfiche  au  Canada  ;  J.  M.  LeMoine. 

Cheney,  A.  N. ;  in  Fishing  with  the  Fly,  in  Lake  Champlain  and  its 
Shores,  in  the  Reports  of  the  U.  S.  Fish  Commission,  in  Reports 
of  the  N.  Y.  State  Fish  Commission,  in  Forest  and  Stream,  in 
Shooting  and  Fishing,  and  in  personal  correspondence. 

Clarke,  Kit ;  Where  the  Trout  Hide. 

Commission  of  Fislieries,  Province  of  Ontario,  Report  of. 

Commission  of  Fislieries,  State  of  Maine,  Reports  of. 

Commission  of  Fisheries,  Slate  of  New  York,  Reports  of. 

Commission  of  Fisheries,  Peiuisylvaiiia,  Reports  of. 

Commission  of  Fisheries,  United  States,  Bulletins  and  Reports  of. 


LIST   OF    AUTHORITIES   CONSULTED  333 

Commissioner  of  Crown  Lands  of  the  Province  of  Quebec,  Re- 
ports of. 

Complete  Angler  ;  Walton  and  Cotton. 

Correspondence  ;  see  Personal  do. 

Cotton,  Charles  ;  in  the  Complete  Angler. 

Creigliton,  J.  G.  A. ;  in  American  Game  Fishes  and  Scribner's  Maga- 
zine. 

Davies,  G.  Christopher  ;  Notes  to  the  Complete  Angler. 

Davy,  Sir,  H. ;  Salmonia. 

Dawson,  George  ;  The  Pleasures  of  Angling. 

Days  and   Nights  of    Salmon  Fishing   in  the  Tweed  ;  William 

Scrope. 
Dennys,  John  ;  The  Secrets  of  Angling. 
Do  Fish  Show  Temper  ?— The  National  Review. 
Durocher,  Rev.  Father  ;  Letters  in  Rapports  des  Missions. 

"Ephemera  "  (Edward  Fitzgibbon);  Notes  to  the  Complete  Angler. 

Essai  do  Bibliographic  Canadieuue  ;  Phileas  Gagnou. 

Evelyn,  John  ;  Sylva. 

Experienced  Angler,  The  ;  Col.  Robert  Venables. 

Explorations  of  A.  P.  Low  and  Others  in  Labrador ;  in  Reports  of 

Geological   Survey  of  Canada,  and  of   the   Commissioner  of 

Crown  Lands  of  Quebec. 

Favorite  Flies  ;  Mary  Orvis  IVlarbury, 
Field,  Tlie. 

Field  Sports  of  the  North  of  Europe  ;  L.  Lloyd. 
Fish  and  Fishing  in  the  Lone  Glens  of  Scotland  ;  Dr.  Knox. 
Fisheries  of  Lake  Ontario  ;  Hugh  M.  Smith. 
Fishing  Tourist,  The  ;  Charles  Hallock. 

Fitzgibbon,  Edward  ("Ephemera");  Notes  to  the  Complete  An- 
gler. 
Fly  Fisher's  Entomology  ;  "Piscator"  (Alfred  Ronalds). 
Forest  and  Stream  ;  Articles  of  A.  N.  Cheney  and  others. 

Gagnon,  Ernest ;  in  Revue  Geographique  Internationale  and  in  per- 
sonal correspondence. 
Gagnou,  Phileas  ;  Essai  de  Bibliographic  Canadienne. 


884  LIST  OF    AUTHORITIES    CONSULTED 

Gamble,  Rev.  Joseph  ;  Paper  on  Lake  St.  John  read  before  the 
Plattsburg  Institute,  February  4,  1895. 

Garman,  Professor  Samuel ;  Personal  Correspondence  in  re  the  Ex- 
amination, for  the  A>ithor,  of  Different  Canadian  Trout,  ?nd  also 
of  Ouananiche  from  Lake  St.  Joiin,  and  its  Identification  aa  Salmo 
salar. 

Geological  Survey  of  Canada,  Reports  of. 

Goode,  Dr.  C.  Brown  ;  American  Pishes. 

Grand  Voyage  duPays  des  Hurons,  Le  ;  Sagard. 

Grant,  Principal  ;  Picturesque  Canada. 

Greenougli,  W.  P.;  correspondence  in  Quebec  Chronicle. 

Habits  of  the  Salmon,  Tlie  ;  Major  Traherne. 

Haggard,  Lieut.-  Jol.  Andrew  C.  P.,  D.S.O. ;  on  Ouananiche  in  Black- 
wood's Magazine;  see  also  the  Introduction  to  the  present  work. 

Halcyon  in  Canada,  The  ;  John  Burroughs. 

Ilalieutica  ;  Oppian. 

Hallock,  Charles;  in  the  American  Angler,  the  Fishing  Tourist,  the 
Sportsman's  Gazetteer,  Western  Field  and  Stream  ;  also  in  per- 
sonal correspondence. 

Harper's  Magazine. 

Hawldns,  Sir  John  ;  Notes  to  the  Complete  Angler. 

Honshall,  Dr.  James  A.;  "TiieMascalonge"  in  American  Game  Fishes. 

Howitt's  Angler's  Manual,  or  Concise  Lessons  of  Experience. 

"  1  Go  a-Fishing  ";  Dr.  \V.  C.  Prime. 

Jesuites,  Les  Relations  des. 

Jesuits  in  North  America,  The  ;  Francis  Parkman. 
Journal  of  a  Canoe  Jaunt  to  Saguenay  and  Labrador  ;  James  Mac- 
kenzie. 
Journal  of  the  National  Fish  Culture  Association  of  England. 

Kingsley,  Charles  ;  Chalk  Stream  Studies. 

King's  Posts  and  King's  Domains  ;  A  Canoe  Trip  in  1808. 

Knox,  Dr. ;  Fish  and  Fishing  in  the  Lone  Glens  of  Scotland. 

Lafl(^che,  Mgr. ;  Notes  on  Indian  Etymology  in  Les  Rapports  sur 
les  Missions  du  Diocese  dc  Quebec. 


LIST    <>r   AUTHORITIES    CONSULTED  335 

Lake  Champlain  and  its  Shores  ;  Murray  and  Cheney. 

Lake  St.  Jolin  and  the  Labrador  Peninsula  ;  W.  H.  H.  Murray. 

Land.ocked  Salmon  ;  see  "  Atlcins,  C.  G." 

Lanman,  Charles  ;  An  Angler  in  Canada. 

Leaping  Ouananifhe,  The  ;  Eugene  McCarthy. 

LeMoine,  J.  M.,  F.R.S.C. ;  Historical  and  Sporting  Notes,  Chron- 
icles of  the  St,  Lawrence,  Explorations  of  Jonathan  Oldbuck, 
Chasse  et  PSnhe. 

LeMoine,  Rev.  Father  ;  Manuscript  Montagnais  Grammar. 

Lloyd,  L. ;  Field  Sports  of  the  North  of  Europe. 

Lome,  Marquis  of  ;  Canadian  Pictures. 

Lovell's  Gazetteer  of  British  North  America. 

Low,  A.  P. ;  Reports  of  Explorations  to  Lake  ]Mistassini  and  James 
Bay  in  Reports  of  Geological  Survey  of  Canada,  and  Notes 
upon  the  Occurrence  of  the  Ouananiche  in  Labrador,  and  other 
Valuable  Information  in  Personal  Correspondence. 

Lowell,  James  Russell  ;  Introduction  to  the  Complete  Angler. 

Lundy,  Dr. ;  The  Saranac  Exiles. 

Mackenzie,  James  ;  Journal  of  a  Canoe  Jaunt  to  Saguenay  and  Lab- 
rador. 

Mackenzie,  Peter  ;  Personal  Reminiscences. 

Major,  John  ;  Notes  to  the  Complete  Angler. 

Marbury,  Mary  Orvis  ;  Favorite  Flies. 

]\Iascalonge,  The  ;  Dr.  James  A.  Henshall  in  American  Game 
Fishes. 

Masse,  Rev.  Pere,  S.J. ;  Old  Montagnais  Mission  Book. 

Masson,  Hon.  L.  R;  Les  Bourgeois  de  la  Compaguie  du  Nord- 
Ouest. 

McCarthy,  Eugene  ;  The  Leaping  Ouananiche. 

Modern  Angler,  The  ;  Robert  Salter. 

Morency,  D.  C  ;  Personal  Observations  on  Labrador  Rivers. 

Murray,  W.  H.  H. ;  Lalie  St.  John  and  the  Labrador  Peninsula; 
Lake  Champlain  and  its  Shores. 

Myers,  E.  J. ;  articles  in  the  American  Field. 

Narrative  and  Critical  History  of  America;  Justin  Winsor,  LL.D. 
National  Review,  The  ;  article  entitled  "Do  Fish  Show  Temper  ?" 
Nedelec,  Rev.  Father  ;  Letters  in  Les  Rapports  des  Missions. 
Nicolas,  Sir  Harris  ;  Notes  on  the  Complete  Angler. 


336  LIST   OF    AUTHOKITIES    CONSULTED 

Nixou,  Captain  ;  Report  of  an  Official  Exploration  of  the  Saguenuy 

Country  and  Lake  St.  John  (1829). 
Notes  on  Lake  St.  John  ;  a  paper  read  before  the  Natural  History 

Society  of  Montreal,  by  E.  T.  Ciiambers,  librarian  of  the  society. 
Notes  to  the  Complete  Angler  ;  G.  Christopher  Davies,  "Ephemera" 

(Edward  Fitzgibbon),  Sir  John  Hawkins,  James  Russell  Lowell, 

John  Major,  Sir  Harris  Nicolas. 

Ontario  Fish  and  Game  Commission,  Report  of. 

Oppian's  Halieutica,  of  the  Nature  of  Fishes  and  Fishing  of  the 
Ancients. 

Ouanauiche  ;  Lieutenant-Colonel  Andrew  Haggard  in  Blackwood's 
3Iagazine,  Miiy,  1893. 

Ouananiche  ;  E.  T.  D.  Ciiambers  in  Harper's  Magazine,  June,  1896. 

Ouanauiche,  The  Leaping ;  Eugene  McCarthy. 

Ouananiche,  Magazine  and  other  articles  on,  by  A.  N.  Cheney, 
Lieutenant- Colonel  Andrew  Haggard,  J.  G.  A.  Creighton, 
Charles  Hal  lock,  Eugene  McCarthy,  E.  J.  Myers,  Kit  Clarke, 
etc.,  and  reference  to  in  Reports  of  Ontario  Fish  and  Game 
Commission,  of  the  U.  S.  Fish  Commission,  of  the  New  York 
State  Fish  Commission,  of  the  Geological  Survey  of  Canada,  of 
the  Commissioner  of  Crown  Lands  of  the  Province  of  Quebec, 
and  by  A.  P.  Low,  T.  Simard,  D.  C.  Morency,  etc. 

Outing. 

Palmer,  C.  N. ;  in  Favorite  Flies. 

Pardee,  Luther  ;  "  The  Lake  Trout,"  in  American  Game  Fishes. 

Parkman,  Francis  ;  The  Jesuits  in  North  America. 

Paske  and  Aflalo  ;  The  Sea  and  the  Rod. 

Pficheries  du  Canada,  Les ;  J.  M.  LeMoine,  F.R.S.C. 

Pennsylvania  Fishery  Commissioners,  Reports  of. 

Personal  Correspondence  of  C.  G.  Atkins,  A.  N.  Cheney,  A.  P. 
Low,  Ernest  Gagnon,  W.  M.  Brackett,  Professor  Samuel  Gar- 
man,  Charles  Hallock,  Professor  J.  D.  Quackenbos,  Dr.  Robert 
M.  Lawrence,  Archibald  Stuart,  Professor  Ramsay  Wright. 
Lieutenant-Colonel  Andrew  Haggard,  D.S.O.;  Rev.  W.  Percy 
Chambers,  B.A.;  Dr.  George  Stewart,  F.R.S.C;  B.  A.  Scott; 
J.  B.  Lawrence,  Jr. ;  Robt.  E.  Plumb. 

Picturesque  Canada;  Principal  G.  M.  Grant,  F.R.S.C, 


LIST   OF    AUTHORITIES   CONSULTED  337 

Pike,  The ;  W.  D.  Tomliii,  lu  American  Game  Fishes. 

Plans  and  maps  of  original  surveys ;  Crown  Lands  Dcpariment, 

Quebec. 
Plant  Life  in  Canada  ;  Mrs.  Traill. 
Pleasures  of  Angling,  The  ;  George  Dawson. 
Pre-Glacial  Man  and  the  Aryan  Race  ;  Lorenzo  Burge. 
Prime,  Dr.  W.  C. ;  "I  Go  a- Fishing." 

Quackenbos,  Professor  J.  D. ;  personal  correspoudeuee  and  arti- 
cles on  Shooting  and  Fishing,  etc. 

Rapports  sur  les  Missions  du  Diocfise  de  Quebec  (containing  num- 
bers of  interesting  letters  from  Roman  Catholic  missionaries 
laboring  among  Indians  of  Labrador  and  elsewhere).  Out  of 
print  and  very  rare.  (The  author  is  indebted  to  Mgr.  Gagnon,  of 
the  household  of  Ills  Eminence  Cardinal  Taschereau,  for  com- 
pleting his  set  of  this  invaluable  work.) 

Relations  des  Ilurous. 

Relations  des  Jesuites. 

Report  of  the  Ontario  Fish  and  Game  Commission. 

Report  of  the  Pennsylvania  Fish  Commissioners. 

Reports  of  the  Commissioner  of  Crown  Lands  of  the  Province  of 
Quebec. 

Reports  of  the  Department  of  Fisheries  of  the  Dominion  of  Canada. 

Reports  of  the  Geological  Survey  of  Canada. 

Reports  of  the  State  of  Araine  Fish  Commission. 

Reports  of  the  State  of  New  York  Fish  Commission. 

Reports  of  the  U.  S.  Fish  Commission. 

Revue  Geographique  Internationale,  La. 

Rink's  Daiiisli  Greenland. 

Rogers's  Stadacona  Depicta. 

Ross,  A.  H.  D. ;  Account  of  a  Trip  to  Lake  Mistassini ;  Canadian 
Magazine. 

Rowan,  John  J. ;  The  Sportsman  in  Canada. 

Roy,  J.  Edmond,  F.R.S.C. ;  Voyage  au  Pays  de  Tadoussac. 

Sagard  ;  Le  Grand  Voyage  du  Pays  des  Ilurons. 
Saguenay  and  Labrador  Coast ;  James  Mackenzie,  1808. 
Saguenay,  Le  ;  Arthur  Buics. 


338  LIST   OF   AUTHORITIES    CONSULTED 

Sfxlmonia  ;  Sir  Humphry  Dav}'. 

Salter,  Robert  ;  The  Modern  Angler. 

Saranac  Exiles,  The  ;  (Dr.  Lundy).     Pu:)lished  anonymously  and 

for  private  circulation. 
Satchell  and  Westwood's  Bibliotheca  Piscatoria. 
Scott,  Sir  Walter  ;  The  Abbot. 
Scribner's  Magazine. 

Scrope,  Williuni ;  Days  and  Nights  of  Salmon  Fishing  in  the  Tweed. 
Sea  and  the  Rod,  Tiie  ;  Paske  and  Atlalo. 
Secrets  of  Angling,  The  ;  John  Denuys. 
Shields,  Cr.  O. ;  American  Game  Fi.shcs. 
Shooting  and  Fishing  ;  portions  of  articles  by  the  present  writer, 

reprinted  from  in  this  book. 
Simard,  T. ;  Report  of  an  exploration  of  the  Goynish  River. 
Smith's  Bibliographical  Catalogue  of  English  Writers  on  Angling 

and  Ichthyology. 
Smith,  Dr.  Hugh  M.  ;  Report  upon  the  Fisheries  of  Lake  Ontario. 
Sportsman  in  Canada,  The  ;  John  J.  Rowan. 
Stadacona  Depicta  ;  Rogers. 

Statutes  of  the  Dominion  of  Canada  and  of  the  Province  of  Quebec. 
Stewart,  Dr.  George,  F.R.S.C. ;  personal  correspondence  of. 
Stewart's  Qutu'tcrly. 
Stuart,  Archibald  ;  manuscript  diary  of  his  trip  to  Lake  Mistassini 

(1894),  and  copies  of  photographs  taken  en  route. 
Sylva  ;  John  Evelyn. 

Tomlin,  W.  D.;  The  Pike,  American  Game  Fishes. 
Topographical  Dictionary  of  Canada  ;  Bouchelte. 
Traill,  Mrs.;  Plant  Life  in  Canada. 
Tshishtekiikau  tshe  apatstats  iluuts  ;  Rev.  P^re  Arnaud. 

Van  Dyke,  Dr.   Henry;    "At  the  Sign  of  the  Balsam  Bough," 

Harper's  Magazine,  October,  1895  ;  Little  Rivers. 
Venables,  Colonel  Robert ;  Tlie  Experienced  Angler. 
Voyage  auPays  de  Tadoussac  ;  J.  Edraond  Roy,  F.R.S.C. 

Westwood  and  Satchell's  Bibliotheca  Piscatoria. 
Where  the  Trout  Hide  ;  Kit  Clarke. 
Whilmore,  F.  A.  W. ;  in  The  Field. 


LIST   OF   AUTHORITIES   CONSULTED  880 

Winsor,  Justin  ;  Niirrative  and  Critical  History  of  America. 

Wright,  Dr.  i{iim.'i:iy  ;  paper  on  tlic  Fishes  of  Ontario  in  the  Re- 
port of  the  Ontario  Fish  and  Game  Commission,  and  personal 
correspondence. 

Yarrell ;  British  Fishes. 


INDEX 


A  Jlnrs  River,  2'>A. 

Abbot,  The.  (HKitetl  from,  81,82. 

Al)i'iia(iuis,  "JTO. 

Ada  Trii<'>H,  lH-2. 

AdaniHon,  l!ev.  Dr.,  qiiotoil,  7. 

Ailiroiidacks,  Tlio,  l'H'),'2i)H. 

Atialit.    ^■"  I'aske  and  Atl/do. 

Agassiz,  Louis,  examiiiod    the   oiinnn- 

iiiclie,  If) ;    received   spccimtns  from 

W.  M.  IJrackett,  17. 
Agassiz  Museum  at  Cambridge,  IMass., 

contains  specimens  of  ouananiche,  17. 
Albanel,  Father,  trip  of,  to  Hudson  Hay, 

208. 
Aleck  Kiver,  189 ;  tours  by  way  of,  231- 

234. 
Alewife,  or   gasporeau,    appears    every 

spring  in  Lake  Ontario  ;    introduced 

there  in  1873,  14;  is  a  dwarfed  (ish, 

27,  28. 
Alma  Island,  74,  157,  158, 159, 161, 1G6, 

172, 173. 
Altshul,  Dr.,  230. 

Amabalish  Fish  and  (tame  Club,  240. 
American  Field,   The,  10,  1U2;   (luoted 

from,  22.^.  220. 
American  Fishes  (Goode),  5, 43,  52, 276. 
American    Game  Fishes   (Shields),  11, 

20,  47,  48,  49,  52,  100,  105,  113,  207, 

278,  285. 
Anailyomene,  165. 
Anderson,  I!ev.  Duncan,  47. 
Angers,  Ex-Lieutenant-Governor  A.  K., 

took  ouauaniche  at  the  mouth  of  the 

Marguerite,  10. 


Angers,  .Judge  C.  Panet.  has  canglit  and 
furnished  speciiiuiis  of  new  Marstonii 
trout,  271. 

Aiifjler's  Guide,  Th',A~, 

Ani/lrr's  M<iiiiittl,  The,  M. 

Angling,  the  alleged  invention  of,  03. 

Angling  for  (lore  or  pickerel,  282,  283. 

Angling  for  nanKii/fiish,  or  lake-trout, 
207-209. 

Angling  for  oMaiianiche,  xvii.-xxii.,  01- 
107,  17(t-]7;5,  195-198,  217,  224-220, 
231,  235, 

Angling  for  pike,  98,  192,  19.3,  284-287. 

Angling  for  trout,  117,  231,  232-234, 230, 
•237,  240-25(;,  259-2()4,  2(i8,  209. 

Angling  for  whitetish,  28()-2H2. 

Anthro|)ophagy  among  Indians  in  Can- 
ada, stories  of,  3(13,  304,  ;)(I7. 

Apjielles,  105. 

Arnaud,  Hev.  Father,  39  ;  Indian  stories 
related  by,  303, 304,  315, 317. 

Arnold  Hog",  111. 

Ashe,  W.  A.,  229. 

Ashuanipi  branch  of  the  Hamilton 
Hiver,  ouananiclie  from,  118. 

Ashuapmouchouan  Hiver,  12,  138,  151, 
223,  234 ;  is  a  route  to  Lake  Mistassini, 
205,  207-209;— ascended  by  Archi- 
bald Stuart,  207,  215,  210  ;  by  Father 
Albanel,  208 ;  by  James  IJichardson, 
208,  209;— description  of,  211-218; 
origin  of  name,  213;  bears  plentiful 
in  its  vicinity,  214,  293. 

Astley,  Mr.,  drowned  in  the  Natash- 
quan,  137. 

Atkins,  Charles  G.,  quoted,  6,  10, 32, 34. 

A  tshem,  308. 


843 


INDEX 


Atwood,  .1.  L., '2(i!>. 

All  Codioii  liivLT,  2H8. 

Au  Foiii, or  iMistnssibi  Kivcr.    «%«  Mis-    Utlli!    IJivii-rc,   Lii,  lOf^,  '_'.') I;  toiiM  by 

taHHil)i. 
All  I'ipt!  liivor,  28«. 
An  Sable  IJivir,  I'J'J. 
Authorii  ii'H  coiisiilti'd  in  the  |)rc|iaratiun 

of  tbis  book,*  liltl  et siq, 
Autlior'.s  rrct'aL'c,  Tbi.-,  or  A  rrulimiiiary    JJe rrius,  wilil,  1H«,  1H1>,  I'J'J. 


Uonvorkill  (ly,  202. 
llwimr,  II.  J.,  150. 


way  of,  230 ;  .siilcndid  Irciiit.  tisbiiif^ 
ill,  230-21(7  ;  caribou  plentiful  in  its 
vicinity,  237,  2'.i0. 

UergcroiineH  IJivir,  13H. 

liemcrH,  Danic  .luliana,  (luotcd,  100. 


Cast,  xi. 
Aux  Kcorccs  Hivcr,  230,  237. 
Aux   l{ais   Iiivt^r  (feeder  of  Lake   ICd- 

ward),2H>,  251. 
Aux  Hats  Kiver  (tributary  of  tbc  iMis- 

tassiiii),  222. 
Aweiianisb,  60 ;  orlhograpliy  of  Messrs. 

IJoucliette  and  IJogers,  I'J. 


B 

«.  A.  Scott  Hy,  92-94. 

Habel,  Fatber,30r). 

Itedeker's  lldiidbdnk  to  Canada,  46. 

Uaird,  I'rofejisor,  (pioled,  11 ;  Cbarle.s  (}. 

AtkiiK-i's  prepared  rep"'*  on  Scboodic 

salmon  nt  bis  rc<iue»t,  3".i. 
Bait  for  lake-tnnit  {iiaiii(ii/cush),2{tH,  279. 
Bait  for  oiiaiifiiiiebe,  01, 190,  214,  279. 
liait  for  i)ike,  279,  280, 287. 
Barbel,  289. 

Barbule,  or  beard  of  tlie  burbot,  291. 
JJarkvr's  l)eliijht,or  the  Art  oj' Amjlinij, 

quoteil  from,  02. 
Basques.  122. 

Batiscan  Hivor,  238,  248,  254,  277. 
Bayard's,  one  of   tbe  jiateways  of  tbe 

Laiireiitides  National  Park,  250. 
Bean,  Dr.,  (iiioted,  14. 
Bear  Lake.    See  Lac  h  I'Ours. 
Bearberries,  199. 
Bears,   one  sbot   hy    Dr.    Daniels,  87 ; 

around  Tseliotaj^ama,  181 ;    killed  in 

tbe  I'eribonca,  188  ;   about  tbe  I'eri- 

bonca,  188,  198,  2'J3 ;  on  the  way  to 

IMistassini,208;    up  tbe  Ashnapinoii-    Bryan,  Cbarles  A.,  104 

cbouaii,  214,  2'J3;    around  Kiskisink,    Buies,  Arthur,  49. 

293;  their  skulls  placed  on  poks,  315,    Burbot,   ilevours   onananiche,  11,  288; 

31(!;  their  hunt  very  dangerous,  317.         large  specimens  taken   in    Lake   St. 
Beaufort,  Duke  of,  137.  John,  11,  288,   289;    description  of; 

♦Those  autUorities  are  arranged  in  alphabetical  order,  and  nro  not  therefore  repeated 
in  tbc  ludc.x. 


Betsiamitz,  53. 

Jk'tsiainitz  Hivcr,  229,  237  ;  A.  P.  Low's 
descripiion  of,  205,  200. 

Bignell,.lobn,  115,  229. 

lildvku'uud's  Mai/aziite,  40;  (jiujted 
from,  183,  258.  259. 

Blanche  Biver,  l'J4,  230,  231. 

Boardinan,  Mr.,  examined  the  ouana- 
niche  in  1875,  1(!, 

Borden,  K.  P.,  137. 

Boston,  anglers  from,  247. 

Bostonnais  River,  238, 

Bouchette,  U.  3L,  bis  topographical  dic- 
tionary of  Canaila,  49 ;  gave  the  Ash- 
uapmouchouan  its  name,  213. 

ISoulanger's  Pool,  159. 

liouryeois  de  la  Coni2>af/nie  du  Nord- 
ouest,  Le.i,  302. 

Bowdoin  College  expedition,  128. 

Brackett,  \\'alier  ^I.,  compares  ouaiia- 
niclie  with  griltse,  10, 17 ;  describes 
his  lirst  ex|)erience  witli  oiiananicbe  ; 
sent  specimens  of  onananiche  to  Pro- 
fessor Louis  Agassiz,  17 ;  remarks 
upon  liis  comparison  of  onananiche 
and  grilse,  18, 19;  trout  jiictures,  260. 

Bridgeport,  anglers  from,  247. 

Bridport,  8. 

Briggs,  Warren,  208. 

Briggs's  Pool,  208, 

liritish  Fishes  (Varrell),  quoted  from, 
289. 

Brown  Hackle,  65,  262. 

Brule,  usually  inhabited  by  bears,  198. 

Brule  Kiver,  "l'J8. 


INDEX 


848 


Its  rcsctnlilniicG  to  cod, 'JHl);  ICuro- 
pcau  varicly  (leMcrilit'tl  liy  CaiKiii 
KiiigMlcy  "JllO;  its  barlmle  or  bcunl; 
very  ifiiarioiis  of  lifi;,  2'.)1. 

Hiir^'c,  Lor('ii/.(>,  I2:{. 

llurrmi^lis,  ilolin,  255;  ({iiotcd  from, 
252,  253. 

C 

Cam  liivcT,  290. 

Cniiil)ri(l>{i',  I'JijjiIaiKl,  2(tO. 

Catiil)ri(lj;t',  IMass.,  17,  270. 

(,'atiicroii,  Allan  (1.,  oO."). 

Cam|i  niid  Canoe,  In,  ]  Hi  151?. 

Cutiip  Scott,  7 1,  K'.t,  !(;;{,  1(11;  American 
ani;linj;  I'ricndM  iiiuet  tlicrc,  10-1. 

Cani|iing  (Jiitlii,  150. 

Canadian  environment  of  the  onana^ 
niciie,  ]2I-I!{'J;  some  of  the  fascina- 
tions of,  ;),  I, 

("anadian  I'acitic  Hailwny, 208. 

Canadian  piclnres,  IH, 

CamtditiH  Sportsman,  The,  4!). 

Cania[)scow  Iiiver,  ID;  A.  1*.  Low's  de- 
scri[)tion  of  its  canons,  12H-i;31, 

Cannihalism.     Sve.  Anlhro|)(ipiiai;y. 

Canoeiiij;,  lt;{-153;  tours,  parts  vii., 
viii.,  ix.,  x.,  xi. 

Cap  Itlanc,  40. 

Carilihean  Sea,  251), 

Caribou,  12ti;  in  valley  of  La  Ik-lle 
llivii-re,  237,  2!)(> ;  in  Lake  St.  .lohn 
and  Saf^uenay  districts;  on  Lac  Trois 
Caribonx;  on  preserves  of  Tourilli 
and  'JViton  clubs;  story  of  a  hunt, 
2D3  ;  in  IJatiscaii  district,  2'JO. 

Carp,  244. 

Casgrain,  Abl)6,  302. 

Cedar  Hajiids,  1(57. 

Century  Dictionary,  its  orthography 
"wiiininish,"42,'43.  50. 

Cercus  viryiinamis,  2'J3. 

Ciiambers,  W.  Oldham,  2(15. 

Chambers's  Guide  to  the  tSiKjuenay  and 
Lake  St.  John,  302. 

Charlevoix,  Father,  136,  210. 

Cliase,  Mr.,  0(). 

Chusse  et  pcche  au  Canada,  47. 

Chateau  Frontenac,  248, 207. 

Cheney,  A.  Nelson,  iii.,  0,  40,  56,79,84, 
93,  98,  224,  247,  258,  207,  275,  312 ; 


autiiority  for  applying  the  name 
"ouananiche ''  to  so-talleij  lanil - 
locked  salmon  of  United  Slates,  29, 
4();  on  pronunciation  of  "onana- 
niclie,"  54,55;  on  dilferent  habits  of 
(,'ainidian  and  I'liiied  States  ouana- 
niche, HH,  «9;  (III  liy-lishinu  lor  oiiana- 
nicli»!  in  Sunapee  Laki',  W,  I'll  ;  gave 
the  Marstoii  trout  its  name,  270,  271. 

Chicoiitimi,  125,  15M,  lji»,  KKi,  10l,li;t>, 
170,  177,231  ;  the  story  of  an  alleged 
lish  barrier  in  its  vicinity  untrue, 
xii.,  8,  9;  ouananiche  found  m  its 
vicinity,  10. 

Chicoiiiiini  liiver,  251. 

Childers  lly,05. 

Chronicle,  Tlie  (Quebec  .\[<ir:nnfj,  (juoted, 
90, 148. 

Chub,  97,  188,  291 ;  description,  habitat, 
and  habits  of,  270  2sil. 

Chute  ii  Caron,  1«H,  1S9,  190. 

Chute  k  Whelley,  1H!». 

Chute  au  diahle,  12, 190-193.  See  also 
Devil's  Falls. 

Chute  de  la  Savane,  187, 188. 

Chute  de  McLeod,  193. 

Chute  du  lionhomine,  189,190. 

CiiKpiieine  Chute.  .SVe  Jlistassimi,  Fifth 
Falls  of. 

Clarke,  Kit,  46,  100,  104,  249.  258. 

Clarke,  .Samuel  (,".,  (|Uoted,  245. 

Classilication  of  the  ouaiiauiclie,  5-35. 

Coachman  tly,  65,  92.  99,  202. 

Coacoachoo  IJiver,  13H. 

Coch-y-bonddu,  05,  202. 

Cock  kobin  tly,  104. 

Commissioners'  Lake.  See  Lac  des  Com- 
missaires. 

Conijilcte  Amjler,  The,  xiii.,  26. 

Conjurers,  Indian,  description  of  their 
methods,  309-314. 

Connelly,  Henry,  305,  313. 

Converse,  Hev.  Dr.,  296. 

Core<junus  cliipeijhrniis,  97,  244.  Sie 
also  Whitelish. 

Corneillc  Kiver,  138. 

Costigan,  lion.  John,  267. 

Cones,  Dr.  Elliott,  42. 

Creighton,  J.  G.  A.,  referred  to  or 
(piotcd,  11, 12,  10,20,  21,22,23.47,  4H, 
95,  100,  105,  113,  114,  173,  191,  270, 


844 


INDEX 


2M7;  Ills  Iiicliaii  ^iiitlu  drowtird;  lii.i 
own  iiiirri)\v  eHca|io  in  tlio  NatuMli- 
i|iiiiii,  I'M). 
Crdwn   I.HiitIs   l)c|)artmciit  of  Quebec, 

C'liiiihiTlniiil  Cimiilv,  Maine, 'JiJ, 
Ciiriis,  II.  N., '-'a;. '■-'!»•;. 
Cii!*k,  'J«!».     ,Sii'  (il.i()  Uurl)i)t, 
Cypriiim  <r/i/i(tliii>,  27H. 
Ciliniima  /'iirnlvriunuii,  214. 


DaMoii,  FatliiT,  .W7. 

'•  DaiUlyriillV'.s,"  'iTl). 

Daniels',  Dr.  Ciayti>ii  M.,  87. 

Davy,  Sir  llimipiiry,  IK). 

Daw.soii,  (iciirf^e,  (luoled,  143,  144. 

Ihiys  and  .\if//il.i  iif' Siilmiiii  Fi.i/iiiii/  in 
t/ie  Tit'cid,  by  William  Scr()[)e,  re- 
ferred to,  H. 

De  Chieot  Itiver,  104. 

De  Coiirev,  \'1'.\. 

D("  Kay,  i)r.,  Wl. 

Dt'  \\\  LTite  Croche  Kiver,  207. 

De  (^iieii,  Katlier,  discovered  and  de- 
scribed I.ake  St.  .b>bn,  4,  114;  dis- 
covered and  descrilteil  tbe  oiiaiia- 
iiiclie,  1"),  114. 

Dean,  .Mr.,  -W. 

Deer,  red,  2113. 

Dcnnvs,  .lolni,  (jnoted,  03. 

Des  Anbiaies  Kiver,  170,  177,  182,  229, 
230.  237. 

Description  of  the  ouananiclie,  5-35. 

Denealion,  03. 

Devil's  Falls  of  the  Peribonca,  84,  191, 
21  Ml. 

Devil's  Whirlpool  of  the  Natashquan, 
137. 

"  Do  Fish  Sliow  Temper?"  204. 

Dodiiawl  I,  l«2. 

Dof,'  Lake,  2(IH, 

Dof^s  and  water-fowl  attacked  by  pike, 
284. 

Dominion  Day  Idyll,  A ,  47. 

Dor6,  in  the  Peribonca,  193;  in  Lac  fl 
Jim,  235;  in  Kiskisink,  208;  angling 
for  and  description  of,  282-283  ;  found 
in  far  northern  waters,  291. 


Doris,  John  B.,  104. 


Dormer,  (leorge.  kept  a  salmon  twelve 

years  in  a  w(41,  8. 
Dory,  .lohn,  272,  27ii. 
Drake,  Miner,  209. 
Dii  ('ran   Kiver,  n  spawning-placo  for 

ouiniaiMcbc,  12. 
Ducks,   in    la    (irande    D^char^c,  100; 

in  the  I'eribonea  and  Lac 'rs('lioia;;a- 

ma,  193,  198;    about   the  height  of 

laud,  2(17. 
I)(nnais,  l'.  11.,  231  ;  on  the  ouauanicho 

of  Lake  Manoiuui,  115, 
Don  lly,  '.If). 

Durinul,  Wallace,  71,209. 
Durham  Kan^rcr,  ti.j,  104. 
Durocher,  Father,  303, 

E 

Kdily,  Morris  K.,  104. 
Ldnnnuls,  Senator,  lishiug  the  Natash- 
quan, l.'iO. 
I'.el-pont,  28!t.     See  ulno  Hurbot. 
Kpipham  Kiver,  233. 
Eskimos,  122,  123,  131-130. 
F,s((nimaux  Hay,  1 15. 
Ksiiuimaux  Kiver,  137. 
J-Mi.r  InciiiK.     jSi'i'  I'ike. 
Knox  Xohilior,     Si-i'  Maskinong(i. 
Ktamamiou  Kiver,  138. 
Kthics  of  (ield  sports,  29G. 
F.velyn,  .Fohn,  140. 
E.\cter,  8. 

F 

Falls.  See  La  (Jrandc  Chute,  ISfeta- 
betchonan,  Mistassiui,  Montmorenci, 
( )niatchonan,  I'erilionca. 

Fario  lecenensis,  79.  St:e  also  Loch 
Leven  Trout. 

Farnham,  C.  IL,  48. 

Favorite  tiies,  47. 

Fens,  the,  290. 

Field,  The,  10,  40;  quoted  from,  34,  290, 

Field  Sporls  of  the  Xorth  of  Europe,  by 
L.  Lloyd,  quoted  from,  8. 

Fifth  F'ails.  See  Mistassini,  Fifth  Falls 
of. 

Filion,  Jacques,  250. 

Fin  rays  of  the  ouannniche,  examina- 
tions of,  23,  24. 


INDEX 


sn 


Fisli,  ntlipr  tlinii  oimnniiiflio,  2 11-202. 
fish  mill  /■'i.iliiiif/  ill  till'  l.onv  (ileus  nf 

SciilliiHil,  (|iii>lc'il,  HO,  «1, 
Fiwli  culture'  in  Auurii-a  lirst  prncliHod 

iu  Ciiuiiiln,  1 1'.l. 
\'\A\   liiiriin^'ucil   by  Iiiillnii  cliiurd  and 

uri;ftl  ici  lie  ciiunlit.  iilH. 
Fishes  (il  New  VdlU,  f)2. 
Fishes  of  <  )ntiiri(),  ■lit. 
/■'is/iiiif;  (itizi'lh;  Tlii\  Ifi,  270. 
Fisliiiij;  MtDrien,  xvii.-xix.,  (!!t-71,77, 7fl. 

1)2,  !»3.  UK,  !»!),  170  17;i,  I'.Cl,  l'.).'),  107, 

1!W,  221  220. 
Fishiiiii  TnnriH,  T/if,  211,  IIH,  i:)2. 
Fisiiiuf^  tours,  jmrts   iii.,  vii.,  viii.,  ix., 

X.,  xi.,  xii.,  xiii, 
Fitch,  K.  C,  1:j7. 
FlllK',  I '.•'.». 
Flies,  lor  ouniuiiiiclio  fisliiiip:,  05.  C>(],  77, 

!)l-!l.">,  OH,  !llt,  1(14,  170.  171,  liW;   for 

whitelish,  117,  2«1 ;    for  trout,  2(>2- 

2(!4. 
Flora  of  the  hanks  of  the  I'cribona,  199, 
Florence,  \V. ,).,  1;17. 
Floyd,  K.  I).,  72,  7H,<)7. 
Flynii,   lion.   I';.  . I.,  105,  238  ;    (^leboc'.s 

National  I'ark  due  to  his  initiative, 

118. 
Folk-lore  of  the   Montagnais    Indians, 

305-821. 
Fimtiiiiili.i,  97,  21.3.     .SVf?  <iIki>  Trout. 
/•V</-('.*^  itiiil  ^Ireiiiii,  l(i,  IC),  4'.),  54,  79,  89, 

92,  98,  99,  224.  245,  247,  258,  271. 
Forest  jireservatioM  iir^'cd,  140,  147. 
Forest   trees  north  of  Lake  St.  John, 

199. 
Forestry,  14G-148. 
Fort  Chiino,  131.  135. 
Fox,  Mr.,  94. 
Fraser,  Alexander,  137. 


O 


Gannon,  Finest,    213 ;    a    letter   from 

him  quoted,  53. 
Galbraith,  Professor,  trip  to  Lake  Mis- 

ta9sini,208. 
(iambic.  Key.  .Joseph,  quoted,  8,  9. 
(iame,  292-297. 
Game    (jualities    of  ouananiche,  xix.- 

xxii.,  G7-G9,  78,  84-89,  94,  100-105, 


197,   198;   of  "landlocked"  salmon, 
;)3. 

(tauK**  for  taking  lake -trout  (iininiiy- 
cii.ih),  207. 

(iarnian,  i'rofessor  .Samuel,  (h'clarea 
ouanauiche  ami  saluiou  iiieiilical,  18, 
25;  result  of  his  examination  of  ouana- 
niche, 21  2(1;  regards  salmon  as  origi- 
nally a  freMh-water  (ish,  27;  exam- 
ined and  dassilieil  the  new  Marston 
trout,  270,  271,  272,  274. 

Gaspereau.     .S'lc  .Mewil'e. 

(iatiiieau  Indians,  300. 

( Jalineau  Valley,  297. 

(Jattvin,  C.  K,,  1 12. 

(iiizil/eer  of  liritinh  Xinih  A  merica,  48. 

(ieiieral  Hooker.  92-91. 

(ienest,  A.  'r.,  308. 

(ieograpliical  distribution  of  the  oimna- 
niche,lll  -118. 

George  Uiver,  IIG. 

CJerard,  \V.  ]{.,  on  "wininish,"  (pioted, 
44. 

(Jervais  IJapids,  104, 175, 170. 

(iill,  Theodore  N.,42. 

Goldenrod,  199. 

(.ioode,  i'rofessor  (J.  15rown,27G;  quoted, 
5,  0,4  3,  .52,  281). 

(loode's  Ameririiii  /'/.vZ/cs,  5,  43,52,270. 

(Jovni!.;!  Kiver,  138;  ouananiche  in,  112, 
il3. 

(irand  Falls  of  the  Hamilton,  UG,  117. 

Grand  Lake  (IMaine),  24. 

(irand  Lake  Stream,  17,  24. 

Grand  remoiiK,  li\  176. 

Graiiil  Voi/df/e  dii  Pinjxdi'K  IliironK,  318. 

(irande  Cim'te,  la,  74,"  70,  82,  83,  89,  91, 
101,287. 

Grande  Decharge,  la,  149,  1.51,  217,229, 
237,  203,  281,  284,  312;  ouananiche 
spawn  in,  11,  12;  ouananiche  of,  19, 
20,  42,  49,  09,  72,  79,  83  -  88,  94,  97, 
98,99,  ■'01,102,  182;  description  and 
scenery  of,  72-70,  82,  83,  155-177, 
whitelish  of,  97,  281  ;  pike  of.  287. 

Grande  liiviere,  la,  of  St,  Aime  de 
Ileaupre,  254. 

(irant,  Principal,  302. 

Green,  Seth,  259,  207. 

Green  drake,  G5,  92,  2G2.  See  also  Jlay 
tiy. 


846 


INDEX 


Greene,  Judpe  S.  IT.,  54. 

(ireeiilaiKl,  122, 1-23. 

(ireeiu)ut?li,  W.  P.,  (luoteil,  90 ;  trans- 
lilaiitetl  oiiaiiaiiiclie,  1U7. 

Grep)ry,  J.  U.,  2<)7. 

Griffiths,  \V.  A.,  11),  To,  97 ;  his  private 
oiiaiiaiiiche  pools,  158,  l(i.'!. 

Grilse,  comijared  with  ouaiiaiiiche,  IC), 
17,  19.  20. 

Grizzly  Kiii^,  (>•">,  92. 

Grosse  CliaiuhtTe  Falls;  legend  respect- 
ing; onananiche  of,  217. 

Guides  of  the  oiiaiianiehe  country,  de- 
scription of  and  ri^fi-rences  to,  ()7,  (19- 
71,  75,  70,  119-152,  159,  162,  272, 
277,  3()l,.t2:3,  327-329;  tiicy  employ 
the  orthograpliy  "onananiche,"  41, 
45  ;  superstitious  of,  207. 

H 

Ha !  Ha !  River,  254. 

Habits  of  the  onananiche,  5-35. 

Haddock,  myth  concerning,  272,  273. 

Haggard,  Lieutenant -Colonel  Anctrew 
C.  v.,  40,  79,  99,  193,  2H1 ;  his  ,  intro- 
duction to  this  book,  xvii.  ;  on  fishing 
for  onananiche,  xvii. -xxii.,  197,  198; 
his  books;  his  travels,  182:  his  de- 
scription of  the  I'eribi'nca,  188;  on 
flies  and  tly  repeHants,  197;  his  lines 
on  Tscliotagaina — a  reminiscence, 
200;  on  lake-trout  fishing  in  Lake 
Nepigon,  209. 

Haggard,  Kider,  79,  182. 

"  Halcyon  in  Canada,  The,"  252. 

Halieus,  30. 

Halientica.     See  Oppian. 

HallooU,  Charles,  referred  to  or  quoted, 
11,  10,  2),  47, 113,  114, 152,  153,  245. 

Hamilton  Inlet,  116. 

Hamilton  Kiver,  19,  23,  115,  116,  130; 
onananiche  found  in,  110, 118;  splen- 
did trout  fishing  in,  117,244;  de- 
scribed by  INIr.  Low,  127,  128;  varie- 
ties of  fish  found  in,  244. 

Hamilton  Hiver  falls  described,  128. 

Hamlin,  Dr.,  declares  ouananiclie  identi- 
cal with  sea-salmon,  KJ. 

Hancock  Countv,  Maine,  33. 

Harebell,  199. 


Hare's  ear,  92, 99. 

I/arper's  M<ir/aziiie,  48. 

Harris,  William  C,  47. 

Hart,  George  K.,  71,  209. 

Hartford,  anglers  from,  247. 

Hatchery  for  onananiche  urged,  107, 
149. 

Hayes,  William,  182, 195,  284. 

Henchev,  Dr.,  208. 

Henshail,  Dr.  James  A.,  52,  54,  2^3. 

Uhlorical  and  Sportiii'j  Notes  on  Uiubec, 
49. 

Hobart  Colleire.  290. 

Hodgson,  W.K.,290. 

Horbacli,  ;Maj(tr  J.  li.,  104. 

Howitt,  S.,  04. 

Hudson  Ikv,  4, 122,  199,  275,  309. 

Hudson  Bay  Company,  134,  209,305. 

Hudson  Strait,  120, 

limiting  leases  issued  by  the  govern- 
ment of  (Quebec,  297. 

Hurley,  M.,  271. 


Identity  of  salmon  and  onananiche,  16, 
18,  l\l,  25,  27,  29.  32,  33,  34. 

Indian  cemetery,  2t»7. 

Indians,  301-329  ;  die  of  starvation,  132 ; 
they  use  their  teeth  in  laiuHiig  large 
fish,  209;  their  anthro)iophi;gous 
practices  302-304;  murders  among 
them,  302-300;  stories  of  them,  303- 
321;  of  Mislassini,  304;  of  the  (iati- 
neau,  300;  harangue  fish  to  induce 
them  to  be  caught,  318.  /See  also 
Montagnais  and  Xascapees. 

Isabel,  Joe,  250. 

Island  House,  158,  160,  101.284. 

Isle  Maligne,  84,  101,  100,  107;  its 
rajtids,  107,  108  ;  its  whirlpool,  108- 
170;  its  onananiche  fishing,  170-173. 

Isle  Konde,  its  situation,  11  ;  onananiche 
netted  there,  11,  106;  onananiche 
spawn  there,  13. 


Jacques  Cartier  River,  124;  description 

and  angling  of,  252-250. 
Jamaica,  259. 


INDEX 


347 


James's  Bay,  205,  208,  209, 223, 237. 

Jeannotte  River,  larjje  trout  of,  249 ; 
story  of  its  trout,  'JoO. 

Jesuits,  believed  to  be  responsible  for 
orthoi^ra|iliy  "ouanaiiichc,"  lo  ;  their 
missionaries  to  the  Montagnais  Intl- 
ians,  302,  30i). 

Jesuits  in  North  America,  The,  802. 

Jock  Scott,  05,  (!G,  92,  98, 10-4,  170, 198, 
2G2,  21)(i. 

Jordan,  Dr.  David  S.,  claims  distinct 
variety  for  the  ouananiche,  15;  in 
error  respectiiij;  the  literature  of  the 
ouananielie,  15,  Ki;  employs  the  or- 
thography "ouananiche,"  16. 

Jordan,  .John,  271. 

Journal  of  National  Fish  Culture  Asso- 
ciation of  Ivigland,  2()5. 

Jugglery,  Indian  belief  in,  309-315; 
witnessed  b\'  the  author,  311-313. 


Kagashka,  138. 

Katrineberg,  8. 

Kicking  a  ouananiche  out  of  the  water, 
69-71. 

Kilbournc,  S.  A.,  his  pictures  of  trout, 
260. 

Kingsley,  Charles,  263 ;  description  of 
the  chub,  279 ;  description  of  the  bur- 
bot, 200. 

King's  Posts,  the,  48,  302. 

Kipling,  Kudyard,  x.x. 

Kiskisink,  23(!. 

Knox,  Dr.,  (pioted,  80,  81. 

Koehler,  A.  \V.,  48,  182. 

Kokomesh,  270. 

Koksoak  Kiver,  19, 116,  129,  131, 136. 


Lai)rador,  xii.,  xiv.,  4,  9,  19,  23.  48,  112, 
113,  115,  117,  118,  121,  122,  123,  126, 
127,  129,  135,  186,  143, 199,  266,  281, 
305,307,  318. 

Labrador  tea,  199. 

Labrosse,  Father,  theory  respecting  ori- 
gin of  North  American  Indians,  302, 
327. 

Lac  a  Cassette,  271, 274. 


Lac    i\   Jim,   87,    118,   214,   215;    how 

reached,  234;  description  of,  234-235; 

fish  found  in,  234,  235,  243,  267. 
Lac  a  I'Epaule,  253. 
Laciil'Ours,  194,230. 
Lac  h  Noel,  253. 
Lac  i'l  Kegis,  253. 
Lac  aux  I^corces,  good  trout  fishing  in, 

236. 
Lac  aux  Rats,  87,  118,222. 
Lac  de   la  Belle   Kiviere    affords  good 

trout  fisliing,  236,  237,  246. 
Lac   des  Aigles,  affords  splendid   trout 

fishing,;  tours  by  way  of,  232,  234. 
Lac  des  Commissaires,  238. 
Lac  des  Grandes  lies.    See  Lake  Ed- 
ward. 
Lac  des  Habitants,  230. 
Lac  des  lies,  271-274. 
Lac  des  Koches,  253. 
Lac  Ecarte,  238. 
Lac  Najoualouank,  238. 
Lac  Sejit  lies,  253, 
Lac  Traverse,  253. 
Lac  Trois  Cariboux,  a  caribou  hunt  on, 

293-295. 
Lacasse,  Hev.  Father,  53. 
Lachs-forelle,  30. 
Lafleche,  Bishop,  51. 
Lake  Asluiapmouchouan,  207. 
Lake  Batiscan,  249. 
Lake  Beauport,  124. 
Lake  Brochet,  194,  230,  23 ). 
Lake  Caniapscow,  116. 
Lake  Champlain  and   its  shores,   144, 

147. 
Lake  Champlain,  salmon  of,  33. 
Lake  Chigobiche  (or  .Shigobiche\  207. 
Lake  Edward,  238  ;   tlescription  of,  249. 
Lake  Epipham,  description  of,  and  how 

reached  ;  trout  of,  233. 
Lake  Fox,  116. 
Lake  GrUndlsee,  trout  of,  30. 
Lake  Jaccjues  Cartier,  good  fi.shing  in, 

252,  253,  255,  256 ;  how  reached,  253, 

265,  25t). 
Lake  Kenogami,  254 ;    its  eight-pound 

trout,  237. 
Lake  Kiskisink,  fish  of,  268  ;    ottitouche 

in,  277  ;  caribou  of  district,  293. 
Lake  Long,  233. 


848 


INDEX 


Lake  Manonan,  contains  ouananiclic, 
115,  195,  190;  description  of;  route 
to,  20G  ;  fish  of,  206,  213. 

Lake  !Manouanis,  206. 

Lake  Malclii  Manitou,  309. 

Lake  Metis,  267. 

Lake  jMichikainow  (or  Jlicbikamaw), 
110,  127,  13(!. 

Laite  Mistassini,  125,  126,  127.  132,  136, 
223,  237,  207,  291,  292,  303,  311 ;  de- 
scription of,  and  different  routes  to, 
203-210. 

Lake  Jlistassinis,  207. 

Lake  Nepigon,  account  of  fishing  in,  269. 

Lake  Nicaubau  (or  Nekebau),  207,  291. 

Lake  Obatagooman  (or  Obalitegooman), 
207,  291. 

Lake  Ojebogoomou,  291. 

Lake  Onistagan,  206. 

Lake  Ontario,  289;  salmon  of,  6,  7,  14, 
15,  33 ;  alewifo  or  gaspereau  of,  14,  27, 
28. 

Lake  Pipmaukin,  description  of,  205, 
200;  well  stocked  with  tish,  200. 

Lake  Hound,  23t). 

Lake  Sebago,  salmon  or  ouananiche  of, 
7,  18,  24,  32,  33,  42. 

Lake  St.  Charles,  124,  2G8. 

Lake  St.  John,  xii.,  19,  49,  55,  66,  72,  73, 
74,  75,  76,  86,  87,  88,  91,  92,  95,  99, 
101,  104,  105,  111,  125,  136,  148,  149, 
150,  157,  158,  159,  160,  182,  184,  205, 
236,  237,  238.  254,  274,  283,  284,  292 ; 
discovered  and  described  by  Father 
de  Quen;  is  the  present  centre  of 
ouananiclic  fishing;  its  situation  and 
size ;  was  little  known  till  recent 
years,  4;  ouananiche  not  landlocked 
in  it,  5,  9,  10,  14;  burbot  of,  11,  288, 
289  ;  ouananiche  of  its  waters,  23, 24, 
25,  28,  48,  61,  86,  87,  98,  107,  118; 
its  waters  vary  very  mucli  in  height, 
62;  how  the  habitants  fish  in  it  for 
ouananiche,  63,  64 ;  pike  of  its  waters, 
76,  288. 

Lake  St.  Peter,  52. 

Lake  Sunapee,  salmon  or  ouananiche  of, 
89,  90 ;  saibling  of,  275,  276. 

Lake  Superior,  267. 

Lake  Temiscamie,  207. 

Lake  Trout.     See  Namavcush. 


Lake  Tschotagama,  47,  87.  104. 1 18, 167, 
181,  182,  184,  187,  193,  194,  190,  197, 
198,  243,  267,  277,  318;  contains 
ouananiche  all  the  year  round,  11; 
description  of,  194,  195;  innnense  ])ike 
of,  195,  284;  a  reniiniscciice  oC — linos 
bv  Lieutenant  -  Colonel  Haggard. 
D.S.O.,  200,  201 :  tours  bv  way  of, 
229-231. 

Lake  Wakwunitche,  291. 

Lake-lawyer,  289.     »SVe  also  Burbot. 

Laleinant,  Father,  318. 

I^andloeked  salmon.  Professor  Ooode  on 
the  Maine  tish,  5;  (so-called)  of 
Maine,  5,  6,  7,  10,  18,  24,  32,  33,  46, 
86,  88-90 ;  tlie  ouananiche  is  not  one, 

5,  6,  9,  10,  43 ;  iMaine  lish  can  still  go 
to  the  sea,  (i,  7 ;  in  northern  Sweden, 

6,  8,  31 ;  Mr.  Charles  (i.  Atkins  ou 
the  Jlaine  lish,  0,  7,  32,  33;  IMaine 
lish  reported  to  descend  from  Sebago 
Lake  to  the  Prcsumpscot ;  tradition 
that  Maine  fish  were  formerly  taken 
farther  down  the  St.  Croix  and  Prc- 
sumpscot, 7 ;  Maine  fish  not  known 
to  descend  to  the  sea,  7, 10 ;  Professor 
G.  Brown  (Joode  claims  a  distinct  va- 
riety for  Maine  fish,  15;  comi)ared 
with  ouananiche,  17,  28,  29,  40;  com- 
pared with  salmon  from  the  sea,  31, 
32,  33,  34;  eggs  of,  larger  than  those 
of  ordinary  salmon,  32,  34;  natural 
range  of,  ill  the  United  States;  dis- 
tribution extended  by  lish  culture, 
33  ;  game  qualities  of^  33,  80,  89,  90; 
Loch  Leven  trout  said  to  be  one,  79. 

Landmark,  Professor  A.,  on  leajjs  of  the 
salmon,  224. 

Language  of  the  IMontagnais,  322  et  seq, 

Laruche,  Ferdinand,  160. 

Latty,  Guardian,  111. 

Laurentides  Fish  and  Game  Clidj,  270. 

Laurentides  National  Park,  148,  247; 
splendid  trout  fishing  in,  148,  252- 
257;  described,  254-250;  has  waters 
suitable  for  ouananiche  and  Mai'stonii 
trout,  255.  » 

Laval  Hiver,  138. 

Laval  Universitj',  296. 

Lawrence,  Dr.  Robert  M.,  quoted,  248, 
249;  hunting  a  caribou,  293, 294, 295. 


INDEX 


840 


Lawrence,  J.  B.,  quoted,  94. 

Le  IMoiiie.J.  :\r.,  F.U.S.C,  47,  49. 

Le  Mdiue,  lie  v.  Father,  32G. 

Le  Sueur,  281). 

Leupiiiy  Ouaminiche,  The  (McCartliv), 
referred  to,  8;  ((uoted  from,  104,  1(I5, 

Leaps  of  the  ouaiiaiiiclio,  xix.-xxi.,  GO, 
78,  85,  80,  90,  100-105,  171,  173,  197, 
198, 

L'Kdu  Fni/i/xnite,  256. 

Ledum  la/if'oliam,  199. 

Lefebvre,  Mr.,  255, 

Lejeune,  Fai  her,  309. 

L'Eveiieinciil,  47. 

Light,  Colonel  A.  L.,  large  catch  of 
trout,  247, 

Ling,  13,  289,  290.     See  aho  Burbot. 

Limuea  boreti/is.     See  Twin  tlower, 

Linmvus,  1 99, 

List  of  authorities  consulted  in  prepara- 
tion of  his  hook,  .331. 

List  of  illustralious,  vii. 

Little,  Amos,  137. 

Little  Es([iiimaux  llivcr,  137.  • 

Little  LaU(!  ICpipliain,  233. 

Little  I'erihonca  Kiver,  184,  189,  198; 
side  trip  to  and  from  it,  231-234, 

Lillle  h'l'rcis  (Dr.  Van  Dyke),  quoted 
from,  30. 

Llovd,  L.,  quoted,  7,  8, 

Loach,  289. 

Loch  Leven,  79-82,  95. 

LochLeven  trout,  compared  with  ouana- 
niche,  79-82  ;  described  by  Professor 
(Juackenbos,  79-80;  by  Dr,  Knox, 
80,  8!  ;  by  Sir  Walter  Scott,  81,  82, 

Locke,  289, 

Locusts  and  Wdd  Ilaney.  252. 

Lome.     6'(  ('  Manpiis  of  Lome. 

Lota  Aiiwririmn,  289.     See  <ilso  Burbot. 

Lota  miicnhisit,  289. 

Lota  vu/f/iirh,2'M. 

Lovell's  Cazvtteer  of  British  North  .1  ?«t'/'- 
icd,  48, 

Low,  A.  1'.,  118, 121,  229,  281;  brought 
the  skin  ot'  a  ouananiche  from  the 
Hamilton  Kiver,  23,  118;  the  bestau- 
thoritvoM  Lahradorrivers,  115; — notes 
on  the  ouananiche  of  the  interior,  xii., 
115, 117;  on  Lake  Michikamow,  127; 
on  the  interior  of  Labrador,  127, 128 ; 


on  Lake  Mistassini,  127,209;  on  the 
ILimilton  Kiver  and  Falis,  128;  on 
the  canons  of  the  Caniapscow,  128- 
131  ;  on  Lake  Pipnmakin  and  the 
routes  thence  to  Lake  Mistassini ;  on 
tlie  Betsiamitz  l{iver,  205,  20G  ;  on 
the  trout  of  tlie  Hamilton  Hiver,  244. 

Lundv,  Dr.,  145,  14o,  147,  217,  237,  258, 
203,  295. 

Lunge.     See  Namaycush, 

Lush,  289. 

:m 

Macfarlane,  Waller,  drowned  in  the 
Natashciuan,  137. 

]\Iacmillan,  Dr.  Hugh,  quoted,  147. 

3Iagpie  River,  138. 

Maine,  landlocked  salmon  (so -called) 
of.     See  Landlocked  salmon. 

^Malbaie  Hiver,  254. 

Manicougan  Kiver,  110. 

^lanitou  Kiver,  138. 

Manitous  of  the  Indians,  310,  311. 

^lanouan.     Sec  Lake  JIanouan, 

Marbury,  Mary  Orvis,  47, 

^Marguerite  Kiver  {en  has),  138. 

Marguerite  Kiver  (tributary  of  the 
Saguenav),  ouananiche  taken  in,  10, 
17. 

JLanpiis  of  Lome's  orthography,  "  oua- 
niche,"  48. 

Marrying  Indian  maidens  to  tish-nets, 
318. 

Marston,  Mr.  K.  B.,  270,  272. 

Morstonii  trout,  called  alter  K.  B.  !Mars- 
ton  at  the  suggestion  of  .\,  X,  Cheney, 
declared  a  new  variety  by  Professor 
Garman,  270;  description,  lial)its,  and 
geographical  distribution  of,  270-270 ; 
— fomid  in  Lac  a  Cassette  and  Lac  des 
lies,  271 ;  in  lakes  near  Ottawa,  255; 
— might  be  successl'idly  introduced 
into  the  waters  of  the  Laurentides 
National  I'ark.  255. 

Mascalonge,  52,  280. 

^Maskinoiige,  derivation  of  its  name,  51. 

jNIassH,  Kev.  Fallier,  53, 

Masson,  Hon.  L.  K,,  48,302. 

Mather,  Mr,,  51. 

Mattawa,  297. 

May  fly,  Mr.  Cheuej'  on,  89 ;   whitefish 


650 


INDEX 


taken  on,  117,281;  seen  at  Tsehota- 
gama,  100,     See  aho  Green  drake. 

McBrido,  Miss  Sara,  O.^. 

McCarlhy,  Enpne,  (j(i,  94, 104, 105,  182, 
237,  29(1;  liis  Letipiii;/  Oi(<in<iiiif/u',H  ; 
his  tlicorv  respect ing  the  (iiiananichc, 
8,9. 

MuCartliv  ouaiianiclie  flv,  OO,  98. 

McCoriniek,  1{.  U.,  2:51,  2o7. 

JlcCormick,  William,  231,  237. 

McKenzic,  James,  48.  !5()2,  310, 320,  322 ; 
quoted,  313,  314,320,321. 

McKenzie,  Peter,  135,  305,  308;  his 
wonderful  slau,i;liter  of  deer,  131, 132. 

McOuat,  Walter,  liis  trip  to  Lake  Mis- 
tassiiii,  209. 

aiead  tly,  9«. 

Mecatina  Kiver,  138. 

Meek,  Setli  Eugene,  289. 

Megantic  Fish  and  (iainc  Club,  HI. 

IMerriain,  A.  (1.,  42. 

Metabetchouan  Fish  and  Game  Club, 
246. 

Metalictchouan  Hiver,  2.3(5,  254;  the 
fishing  therein,  xvii.-xix.,  04,  05,71, 
99. 

Michaelmas  daisies,  199. 

Michaux,  French  botanist,  208. 

IMichikatnow.     See  Lake  Michikamow. 

i\licmaos,  270. 

Miller,  C.  K.,  1G4. 

Milltown,  Me.,  24. 

IMingan  liiver  138. 

Mississippi  Hiver,  289,  291. 

Blistassibi  Hiver  and  Falls,  221,  222. 

Jlistassini,  lii'iii  falls  of,  84,235;  de- 
scription of,  219  22(). 

Mistassini  Indians,  304. 

IMistassiiu  Lake.     .SVc  Lake  Mistassini. 

Rlistassini  Hiver,  1.3.S,  151,  234,  23,5,  311 ; 
a  route  to  Lake  Mistassini,  205,  208, 
209  ;  followed  by  the  French  liotanist 
Michaux,  20S  ;  bv  Walter  McOuat, 
209;  description  of,  2l9-22(). 

ISIistassini  steamer,  72,  158. 

Mistook  Hiver,  1G(!,  ]«2. 

Mitchil,  Dr.,  .52. 

Modtrii  AiK/ler,  The,  quoted  from,  96, 
97. 

Moisie  River,  137,  138. 

Molca  lota  or  Molva  vulr/aris,  290. 


Montmorenci,  falls  of,  223. 

Montmorenci  Fish  and  (iamc  Club,  246. 

Montmorenci  Hiver,  124,254. 

Montagnais  Indians,  122,  123,209,301- 
329;  as  guides,  151,  152,  159,  301, 
327,328;— belief  in  jugglery,  309-315; 
in  windigoes,  304,  307,3(18,  309;— 
cases  of  polygamy  among,  .305 ;  of 
cannibalism  among,  302,  307; — lan- 
guage of,  322  ct  si'q. ;  they  gave 
the  ouananiche  its  name,  3,  15,  39, 
40,  41,  44;  religious  beliefs  of,  310, 
311;  —  they  formerly  slaughtered 
their  old  and  infirm,  305,  30(! ;  and 
those  supposed  to  have  become  win- 
digoes, 304,  .307,  308;  — their  folk- 
lore, 305-321  ;  their  hunting  riglits, 
307,  318.  319;  their  marital  rela- 
tions, 321;  their  method  of  strangu- 
lation, 30C;  their  i)ronunciation  of 
"  ouananiche,"  55,  56,  57. 

Montreal  F'ish  and  (iamo  Protection 
Club,  132. 

Montreal  tly,  2()2. 

IMoose  Fort  (or  Factory),  121,208. 

Moose  Hiver,  •.'08. 

Moose  specially  reverenced  bj-  the  Ind- 
ians. 317,  318. 

Morel,  Johnny,  78,  100,  101,  102. 

Morency,  I).  C,  found  ouanainche  in 
Goynish,  Piastre  -  bale,  and  Wat-shu- 
shoo  river.s,  112. 

Mosle,  (Jeorge  H.,  48. 

Mull,  Island  of,  259,  200. 

Murray,  W.  II.  II.,  (pioted  or  referred 
to,  49,  101,  143,  144,  147,  148,  249. 

JIurray  Hay,  124. 

Muscalonge,  52. 

Museum  of  Comparative  Zoology,  Cam- 
bridge, Mass.,  17,  25. 

Jluskallonge,  52. 

Muskellunge,  52. 

iMus(piarr<)  Hiver,  19,  138. 

Myers,  E.  J.,  48,  100,  182,  195,  284; 
quoted,  102-104,  225-220. 

N 

Naiada!,  257. 

Namaycush,  or  great  lake  trout  (tou- 
Imli),  42,  51,  234,  235,  243,  244,207- 


INDEX 


851 


270 ; — caught  occasionnlly  on  the  fly, 
2i)8;  by  trolling,', 'JiiT ;  on  niglit-linos, 
2t!7-2(>S  ;— (lill'iTLMit  names  of,  51.  2G7, 
2i'>Ii.  •_*7ii ;  oiKirnKiiis  size  of,  2()7  ;  Ind- 
ians use  toelli  in  landing  tlii'ni,  2()i) ; — 
taken  in  almost  all  the  waters  of  Lab- 
rador, 4.  ■2*17  :  almost  all  waters  of  the 
Lanrcntidos  National  Park,  2.J4-255; 
in  Lac  a  ilim,  2.>r).  2i;^,  2i;7  ;  in  I^ac 
dps  Aiiflcs,  2.'M ;  in  Lake  Kiskisink, 
2(!.'S:  in  Lake  Rlanonan,  21,') ;  in  Lake 
Jletis,  2i!7;  in  I^ake  Mistassini,  209, 
207;  in  Lake  Nepij^on,  2(![) ;  in  Lake 
Pipmuakin,  2l)fi;  in  I^akc  St.  Ciiarlos, 
2i)8;  in  Lake  St.  John;  in  Lake  Sn- 
perior.  2(i7 ;  in  Lake  Tsciiotagama, 
24;?.  2ti7 ;  in  the  river  Betsiamitz, 
2fi();  in  the  river  Hamilton,  244. 

Name  of  the  oiiananielui  discussed,  39- 
57;  given  by  tiie  Montaj^nais  Ind- 
ians, o,  15,  39,  40,  41,  44;  orii;inal 
form  not  fianid  in  any  dictionary,  o, 
42;  its  prommciation,  19,  54-.")7. 

Xumitire  andCriticdl  llUtory  nJ'Amer- 
ii'ii  (.Instill  Winsor).  122. 

Nascapee  Indians,  45,  132,  134,  135; 
cases  of  camiibalism  among,  303,  ;;04 ; 
marital  relations  of,  320;  religions 
beliefs  of,  310,  31 1  ;  .snperstitions  re- 
specting lish  and  (ishing,  318 ;  their 
belief  in  jugglery,  309-315;  tlieir 
folk-lore,  305,  308-321 ;  they  slaugh- 
ter their  old  and  inlirm,  305,  30G; 
they  slaughter  those  stii)posed  to 
have  become  windigoes,  308. 

Natashqnan  Hiver,  19;  onaiianiche  in, 
117,  l.')7.  138;  tragic  scenes  upon, 
ISO,  137. 

National  Fish  Culture  Association  of 
England,  205. 

National  Rericw,  The,  264,  296. 

Nedelec,  Father,  303. 

Nckeban  or  Nicaubau  Lake.  See  Lake 
Nicanban, 

Nekel)an  or  Nicaubau  River,  207. 

Nupartep.  Thomas,  an  Indian  juggler, 
3 11-3 13. 

Nepigon  Indians,  209,  270. 

Nei)igon  Lake  and  Kiver,  account  of 
fishing  in,  2G9. 

Ncpton,  Joseph,  185. 


Netaginau  Kiver,  138. 

New  Itrnnswick  lakes,  .<salmon  of,  31. 

New  llavcn,  anglers  from,  247. 

New  York,  anglers  from,  247. 

New  York,  distribution  of  ouananiche 
extended  in  state  liy  fish  planting, 
33. 

New  York  State  Fish  a-id  Game  Com- 
missioners' rejiort  qnoii'd  fnnn,  29, 

Nichicooii,  110. 

Nixon,  Captain,  49, 113. 

N)niantnm  Chib  waters,  240,208. 

Northwest  Hiver,  110. 

Nonvelle  Uiver  and  its  sea-trout,  245. 


O 


O'nrien,  L.  H.,  191. 

Ogioktabinik,  the  conjurer,  135. 

Ojibwa,  "  wininish  "  credited  to,  44. 

Ontario,  Lake.      See  Lake  Ontario. 

Ontario  Fish  and  Game  Commission, 
report  of,  (pioted  from,  43. 

Oi)islnikoiat,  40. 

Oppian's  //a/ien/ini,  251. 

O'Kiellv,  John  Uovle,  quotation  from, 
250. " 

O'Sullivan,  Hcnrv,  309. 

Ottawa  Kiver,  1,38,  293,  297,  809. 

Otter  Kiver,  215. 

Ouananiche,  Agassiz  declared  it  identi- 
cal with  landlock(td  salmon  of  Maine, 
10;  anatomical  description  of,  211,  21, 
22 ;  angled  for  from  May  to  September, 
11,  01 ;  angling  for,  xvii.-x.xii.,  01- 
107, 170-173,  175,  19,5,  197,  198,  222- 
220 ; — are  found  at  Honlangcn's  in  la 
petite  (lec/i<ir//e,  159;  at  Isle  Maligne, 
170-173;  at  Isle  Kinidj,  11;  at  the 
chute  au  (liable,  192  at  the  fifth  falls 
of  the  Mista.ssini,  224-220.  235;  at 
the  first  falls  of  the  Mistassini,  222; 
at  the  Salmon  Kiver  e/iiite,  214 ;  at  the 
third  falls  of  the  JMistassibi,  222;  in 
fresh  water  all  the  year  round,  11;  in 
Lac  a  Jim,  87,  118,  235 ;  in  Lac  au.x 
Kats,  87,  118,  222;  in  la  (jraiide 
de.rharf/e,  19,  20,  42,  49,  09,  72,'70-79, 
103,  170-175;  in  Lako  Manonan,  19.5, 
190,  200;  in  Lake  St.  J(din,  4,  5, 
10,  11,  61;    in   Lake  Tschotagama, 


853 


INDEX 


11, 118, 105-198;  in  the  Aleck  Kiver, 
231 ;  in  the  (ieorjje,  1  Hi ;  in  the  (Joy- 
nish,  112,  113;  in  the  Hamilton,  ll(i, 
118;  in  the  Koksonk,  l\i't;  in  the 
Little  I'erihoncn,  232,  233;  in  the 
Metahetchonan,  13,  tJ-l,  71 ;  in  the  Na- 
tasluinnn,  117;  in  the  Ouiatchonan, 
G4-72;  in  the  I'erihonca,  188,  192;  in 
the  Iiomnine,  IK!,  117;  in  the  ujiper 
lakes  o(  the  I'eriljonca,  181;  in  the 
Wat-shu-shoo,  112;  occasionally  in 
the  Marguerite  and  lower  Satjaeiiay, 
10,  17;  near  Chicoutimi,  10;  —  i)ait 
lor,  01,  196,  214,  279;  —  Brackett, 
W.  iM..  compares  it  with  grilse ;  «le- 
scrihes  his  tirst  experience  of  it ;  gave 
specimens  to  Louis  Agassiz,  17; — Ca- 
nadian environment  of,  3,  121-139; 
color  of  its  tlesh,  10,  11 ;  classilicalion 
of,  5-35; — compared  with  gilse,  10, 17, 
19,  20 ;  with  lachs-forelle,  or  trout  of 
Lake  Grllndlsce,  30;  with  so-called 
lantllocked  salmon  of  Maine,  28,  29, 
40;  with  Loch  Leven  trout,  79-82; 
with  salmon,  and  claimed  to  be  identi- 
cal with,  10,  18,  19,  25,  27,  29,  34; 
with  salmon  of  New  Brunswick  lakes; 
with  salmon  of  Swedish  lakes,  31; 
with  species  of  Columbia  Kivcr  sal- 
mon, 30  ; — devoured  by  burbot,  1 1 ; 
by  pike,  190,  287,  288";-description 
of,  5-35, 01-107 ;  differs  in  habits  from 
the  salmon  of  the  sea,  18,  20,  27,  28, 
29,  44,  G5; — distinct  variety  claimed 
for  it  by  Dr.  G.  Brown  Goode;  by 
Dr.  Jordan,  15; — does  not  descend  to 
salt  water  in  large  numbers,  10; 
erroneous  ideas  concerning,  30;  — 
feeds  upon  Hies  in  the  foam  or  broti,  83, 
84:  upon  ouitouche  and  other  small 
fisli,  10,  195;— Hies  for,  05,  60,  67,  91- 
95,  98,  99,  171,  225,  203;  Gamble's, 
Kev.  Joseph,  theory  respecting,  8; 
game  qualities  of,  xviii.-xxii.,  67-69, 
78,  84-89,  94, 100-105,  197, 198  ;  Gar- 
man,  Professor  S.,  declares  it  identical 
with  Salmo  salar,  18 ;  geographical 
distribution  of,  111-118;  habits  of,  5- 
35;  has  easy  access  from  Lake  St. 
John  and  other  waters  to  the  sea,  5, 
6, 10, 14,  35, 43 ;  hatchery  for,  recom- 


mended, 107,  149;  Hamlin,  Dr.,  de- 
clares it  the  same  as  sea-salmon,  IC; 
how  one  was  kicki'd  out  of  the  water, 
(i9-71;  identical  with  salmon,  10,  18, 
19,25.27,2:1,34;  leaping  the  lifth 
falls  of  the  Mistassini,  224;  losing  l)ig 
ones,  77,  172-173 ;  JlcCarthy's,  Eu- 
gene,  theory  respecting,  8 ;  migrations 
of,  11-13; — name  discussed,  15,39- 
57;  given  by  INIontngnais  Indians,  3, 
15;  not  to  be  founil  in  any  of  the  dic- 
tionaries, 3,  42; — not  a  landlocked 
salmon,  5,  0,  9,  10,  43:  ortliograjihy 
of  the  name  originated  by  Jesuit  mis- 
sionaries, 15;  ])hilology  of,  3,  15,  19, 
39-57;  pronunciation  of  name,  19,54- 
57 ;  sometimes  found  above  falls  one 
hundred  feet  high,  9; — spawn  around 
Isle  lionde,  13;  spawn  at  tiie  c/iiife 
an  dkible,  12;  in  the  CJrande  De- 
charge,  11,  12;  in  the  Metabetchouan, 
13;  in  the  liivifere  dn  Cran;  in  the 
shallow  water  of  small  streams.  12; 
in  the  tributaries  of  Lake  Sr.  John, 
11,  12;  off  J'ointeBleue,  13;— should 
be  ])lanted  in  Laurontides  National 
Park,  255;  spawned  formerly  in  the 
Salmon  Hiver,  12;  spawning  habits 
of,  11-13  ;  stories  of,  69-71,  70-79, 92, 
93,  170-173,  195,  197,  198,  224,  225, 
226;  tackle  for,  95-97;  taken  in  nets 
from  under  the  ice,  11 ;  transplanted, 
107,249;  unsuccessfid  attemjits  to  in- 
troduce it  into  luiglish  waters,  34; 
what  it  is,  5,  15, 10,  17,  18,  25,  20,  27, 
31,  32,  35. 

Ouananish,  50;  this  orthography  used 
by  J.  Ldmond  Koy,  F.H.S.C,  47. 

Ouanans,  40,  41. 

Ouaniche,  50 ;  this  orthograi)liy  used 
bj'  the  Marquis  of  Lome,  48. 

Ouassiemska,     «SVe  Wassiemska. 

Ouchachoumac,  40,  222. 

Ouellet's  Pool,  06. 

Onenancsh,  50. 

Ouiatchonan  Falls,  223,  237. 

Ouiatchonan  Fish  and  Game  Club,  2-10. 

Ouiatchonan  Kiver,  237 ;  ouananiche 
fishing  in,  04-72;  trout  fishing  in,  240. 

OuiatchouanicheKiver,descri|)tion  of  the 
iitrcatn  and  its  trout  fishing,  237,  246. 


INDEX 


353 


Oiiida,  29(5. 

Uiiiimiiiclic,  50;    tliis  orthography  om- 

ployeil    by   Americiiii    railway    com- 

paiiins;  l)y  J.  (i.  A.  (;rci;,'htoii ;  by  J. 

M.  Lo  IMoiiic;    by  /.'Ereitemciit ;    by 

IJev.  Dimcaii  Ainlerson,  INI. A.,  47. 
Oiiiiicnisli,  .")(l. 
UiiiiiiiiiclK',  Til);  tliis  ortbof;raphy  foiiiul 

ill  Camtdiun  Spoiismdii,  49,  fjO. 
Oiiiiuiiiiisli,  fiO;    orthot^rapliv  used   bv 

Cliarh's  llallock,  M..\.,  47." 
Oiiiiinaiiicbc,  fiO ;    an  ortlio^^rapliy  om- 

l^lovcd  bv  J.  M.  Lc  Moiiu',  F.U.S.C, 

47.' 
Onitouche,  97, 188,  291  ;  description  and 

habitat  of,  276-280;   preyed  upon  bj' 

oiianaiiicho,  10. 
Oiiliiii/,  4H. 
Owaniuach,  50:   an  orthography  fouiul 

in  Canaduin  jSporlniiKii/,  49. 
Oxford  County,  M.iiiic,  'S.i, 


Palmer,  C.  M.,  47. 

]'a(iuct,  Mirr.,  290. 

I'ardee,  Luther,  2G7. 

I'arkmaii,  Francis,  302,  309. 

I'armachenee  IJelle,  2(52. 

Partridf^es,  found  about  the  height  of 
land,  207;  jjlentiful  in  the  Lake  St. 
John  country,  292. 

Paske  and  Aflalo's  The  Sea  and  the  Rod, 
291. 

Patterson,  A.  T  ,  xvii.,  xviii.,  xix.,  89. 
159. 

Pearls  fiiinul  in  the  shells  of  river  mus- 
sels, 189,  257. 

Penionka  IJapids,  description  of,  215; 
legends  resjiecting,  210,  217. 

Penk  Hiver,  278. 

Peini  Fish  and  (Jame  Club,  246. 

I'enobscot  Kiver,  oo. 

Perch,  279,  291. 

Peril)()nca  or  Pcribonka  River,  II,  12, 
47,  84,  138,  151,  1(57.  205,  206,  277, 
288;  bears  of.  188,  198,  293;  descrip- 
tion  of,  179-201;  pike  of,  181,  192, 
193,  196;  side  trips  to  or  from,  229- 
234. 

Petite  Decharge,  la,  74,  157,  159. 


Petshika,  an  Indian  conjurer,  313. 
Phantom  minnows forouananiche, xviii.; 

for  lake-trout,  267,  2(59. 
"  Philology  of  the  Ouananiche,"  39-57. 
Pickerel,  272.     See  also  Dore. 
I'irtnri'xque  Cawidit  ((irantj,  302, 
Pikauba  lliver,  254. 
Pike,  26,  76,  87,  98,  291 ;  angling  for,  W, 

192,  193,  284-287;  description  and 
habits  of,  2«3-2«H;  known  to  attack 
dogs  and  water-fowl,  2H4;  large  size 
of,  193,  195,  19ii,  2M4  ;  ouananiche  fry 
endangered  by,  12;  stories  of,  2H4, 
287,  2«8;— taken  in  Lac  aux  IJrochets, 
234;  in  Lake  a  .Jim,  235;  in  Lake 
iMistassini,  209;  in  Lake  Pipmtiakiii, 
206;  in  Lake  St.  Joim,  76,  28.S ;  iu 
Lake  Tschotagama,  195,  2H4 ,  in  the 
lietsiamitz,  206;  in  the  Hamilton, 
244;  in  the  Peribonca,  iMl,  192,  193, 
196;— trolling  for.  284-2«7. 

Pike-perch,  282.     See  (d^so  I)i>r6. 
J'ipham  River,  tours  by   wav  of,  231- 

233. 
Pipmuakin  Lake.     See  Lake  Pipmua- 

kin. 
Pipnniakin  River,  206. 
Piscatatiins  County,  Maine,  33. 
"  Piscator,"  in  Conqdete  Amjler,  2(5,  278. 
Pleasures  of  Angling,  The,  143. 
Plumb,  Robert  E.,  (pioted,  94. 
Pointe   Rleue,  Jlontagnai.-i   Indians   of, 

151;    ouananiche    spawning  -  ground 

not  far  from,  13. 
Ptdyphemus,  308. 
Portage  a  I'Ours,  214. 
Portage  de  rile,  189,  190. 
Portaging,  130.  151,  186,  187,  191,  192, 

193,  214,  229-236,  301. 
Potter,  Right  Rev.  IJi.sho|),  295. 
Practical  A  ntjler,  The,  47. 
J're-Glacial  Man,  123. 
Preliminary  Cast,  A,  being  the  Author's 

Preface,  xi. 
Presump.scot  River,  7,  .^3. 
Professor,  The,  05,  92,  99,  171,  202. 
I'ronuneiation  of  "ouananiche,"  19,  54- 

57. 
Prose  Idylh  (Kingsley),  290. 
Putnam,  Mr.,  examined  the  ouananiche 

in  1875,  16, 


354 


INDEX 


Q 

Qiinckr'iil)(w,  Dr.  J.  D.,  on  (isliiiif;  in 
Loch  Lcvcn,  I'J,  80;  on  tliu  Loi-h 
Levcn  trout  in  Amcricn,  71);  on  llie 
iSunapi'L'  Luke  saililiuf;,  'J7."). 

(iiu'lR'c,  4,  3!),  10,  1-24, 1-A  r.'(i.  14K,  loS. 

(,)iu'l)('c  and  Lake  St.  .Joiwi  liailway,  45, 
12o,  li)H,  177. 

(iiieeu  of  tlic  Water,  The,  Go,  'Ji',  2G2. 


R 


Kan{,'eleys,  12G,  27G, 

lta|)hael,  Jim,  235. 

liapiils.  See     Ashiiaiimouclionnn, 

Jac(iiie9Cartier,  La  (irande  Dechar^e, 
I'emonka,  Peribonoa,  Sautoriski,  etc. 

RapjMvt  snr  hs  missions  du  diocese  de 
Quebec,  51. 

Kat  Hiver.     See  Aux  Kats. 

Ifed  I  his,  94. 

liehdiou  (/(',?  Ihirons,  318. 

Jiiltition.i  di'S  Jesuits,  discovery  of  Lake 
St.  Joint  reported  in,  hy  Fatiier  de 
Qiien,  4;  Father  All)anel"s  trip  to 
Hudson  liay  described  in,  208. 

Remans  lioude,  Le,  25G. 

Kenhen  Wood,  '.)2, !)'.). 

Recne  GeiKjnijdiiqiie  de  Pufis,.b3. 

Richardson,  .lames,  his  trip  to  Lake  Mis- 
tassini,  208-209. 

Kimouski  Lakes,  271. 

"  Kivcr  men  "  (legendary  amphibious  be- 
ings), 21G. 

Robbins,  Dean,  catch  of  large  trout,  249. 

Roberval,  .5G,  fil,  G2,  63.  72.  92,  149,  151, 
158,  159,  IGO,  184,214,  23G. 

Romaine  River,  IIG,  137,  138. 

Romans,  tiieir  practice  w£  pisciculture 
and  acclimation,  8. 

Roosevelt,  Mr.,  198. 

Rose,  Captain  E.  T.,  72. 

Rose,  the  Ladv  Cecilia,  72,  22G. 

Ross,  A.  II.  D.,  121. 

Roy,  J.  Edmond,  F.R.S.C,  47. 

Royal  Society  of  Canada,  author's  pa- 
per on  "The  IMiilology  of  tiie  Ouana- 
niche,"  read  before  it  by  Dr.  George 
Stewart,  39;    quotation  from  it,  64. 

Rupert  River,  208,  223. 


S 


Sagnenay  Fish  and  (lam(!  Chib,  Ifil; 
its  dub  iioust!  and  lisiiing  jircservea, 
173. 

Sagnenav  River,  48,  49.  7.'i,  121,  125, 
148,  157,  IGI,  17G,  20.-).  213,  230,231, 
237,  251,  257,  29:),  307;  apocryphal 
stor}-  of  an  upheaval  of  nature  in  its 
bed,  xij.,  5,  8;  Father  d(!  <,)uen's  as- 
cent of,  4;  ouaiwiniche  found  in,  10, 
1!»,  118;  was  never  dry,  5. 

iSidino  (dj)iiiiis,  275,  27G. 

S(dinoJ'onlinalis,     Sec  Trout. 

iS(d,in()  oqudssd,  27G. 

Sdliiio  rossi,  270. 

Sidiiio  (!<(dr(!iiiiis)  ^furs(omi,  See 
Miirstduii  Trout. 

S(diiio  staipnuis.  276. 

Sdlmo  Iriitid,  79.     See  also  S^>a-tTimt. 

Salmon  (landlocked).  See  Landlocked 
salmon. 

Salmon  (of  coastal  streams— .Sa/wo  s(t- 
/(/»•),  291  ;  compared  witli  so-called 
landlocked  salmon,  31,  32,  33,  34  ;  its 
eggs  smaller  than  those  of  ouana- 
niche,  32,  34 ;  of  Lake  Ontario  not 
supposed  to  enter  salt  water,  6,  7,  14; 
one  kept  in  a  well  for  tw(!lve  years,  8 ; 
ouananiche  diiTors  from  it  in  life  his- 
tory, 18,  26,  27,  28,  29,  44;  ouana- 
niche identical  variety  with  it,  IG.  18, 
19,  25,  27,  29,32,  33  ;  unknown  to  wa- 
ters of  Pacific  coast,  30 ;  was  origi- 
nally a  fresh-water  lish,  9,  27,  31,  32. 

Salmon  River,  formerly  a  spawning- 
jilace  for  ouananiche,  12. 

Salmon  River  Falls,  214. 

S(dmonia  (Sir  Humphry  Davy's),  30. 

Salter,  Robert,  96. 

Sidrelinus.     See  Trout. 

Sdranac  Exiles,  The,  14G,  263. 

Sautoriski  River,  rapids  of,  256;  trout 
tishing  of,  256. 

Savard,  (Jeorge,  161. 

Savard,  Louis.  160. 

Savard,  Paul,  77,  78,  160,  161,  171, 
172. 

Schoodic  Lakes,  24 ;  salmon  of,  24,  32, 
42,  46. 

Scott,  B.  A.,  66,  168,  217,  284;   a  Hy 


INDEX 


353 


called  nftnr  liim,  92-[)5;    liis  narrow 

escape  in  tlie  \vliirl[)()ul  (tf  l.ilo   Ma- 

li>,'ne,  1G',M7(». 
Sciiit,  .Sir  Walter,  on  Loch  Leven  trout, 

HI,  82. 
Scribiier'n  Afiit/iizine,  48. 
Scrope,  William,  ([uoted,  8, 
iSed  awl  the  Rod,  The  (I'aalte  and  Atta- 

lo),  2;il. 
Seaton,  William,  107,  248. 
Son-lroiit,  245. 

Sehajio  Lake.     See  Lake  Sebago. 
Sel)uo  IJiver,  1)3. 

iSecrets  of  A  ii;iliiif/,  quoted  from,  (i3. 
SemotUiis   htiUdfis.     See  Ouitouuhe  or 

Chill). 
Sept  Lsles,  3():{. 
Setli  (Jreeii,  !)2. 
Severn,  planting  landlocked  salmon  in, 

34. 
Sheldrake  River,  138. 
Shields's  Amiriaiii  (lame  Fishes,  11,  20, 

47,  48,  113,  2(17,  278,  28.-). 
Shipshaw  l/iv"r,  182,  194,  205,  230,  231, 

237. 
Shoot iiif)  and  Fishing,  16,  46,  14(5,  157, 

181,  m 
Silver  Doctor,  65,  77,  02,  98,  104,  170, 

2(i2. 
Simard,  l^tienne,   killed   a  bear  in  the 

Periboncu,   1K8. 
Simard,  T.,  found    oiiananiche   in    the 

(xovnish  River  and  in   Lake  Victor, 

112. 
Simeon,  Joseph,  185. 
Smith,  Dr.  Hugh  .M.,  quoted,  28. 
Smith,  Uev.  Dr.,  2'JG. 
Snipe,  292. 

Solidago.     See  Goldenrod. 
Sothern,  Ned,  137. 
Spencer,  Herbert,  290. 
Spoon  bait  for  hike-trout.  267. 
Sportsman's  (iiizettcer,  47,  113. 
Springfield,  42;  anglers  from,  247. 
"Stadacona,"  39,  40, 
Stddaamu  Depicta,  49. 
Stein,  C,  quoted,  259. 
Stewart,  Dr.  (ieorge,  read  the  author's 

paper    on    "  Thi^    Philology   of  the 

Ouananiche"  before  the   lioyal   So- 
ciety of  Canada,  39. 


Stewart's  Qiiarlerli/,  .1L 

Slizosteiliou  I'ilnitiii,  272. 

Stone  Mills,  8. 

Siory  of  a  caribou  iiunt,  293 -29  L 

St()ri(!s  of  Indians.     See  Indian  Storiea. 

Storic's  of  ouananiche,  (i9-71,  7(i-79,  92, 

93,  97,  !W,  99,  I7(»-173. 
Stories  of  trout,  231,  23l!,  2;i7,  244,  246- 

256,  262. 
Stormoiitlii'id  Ponds,  .sjilmoii  of,  6. 
Stocking,  H.  M.,  66,  15H,  16(1,162,  170. 
Stoneham,  253. 
Strangulation  practised  by  the  Indians, 

30C). 
Strowger,  Ciiarles  A.,  290, 
Stuart,  Archibald,  214,  21<;,  ;>11;  atrip 

to  Lake  Mi.stassiui,  207  ;  his  lisiiiiig 

on  Hat  Uiver,  251 ;    killed  a  lunnber 

of  caribou,  296. 
St.  Charles  IJiver,  40. 
St.  Croi.K  Uiver,  7,  31,  33. 
St.  Felicien,  214. 
St.  (Jedeon,  106. 
St.  .loachim,  124. 

St.  John  Lake.     See  Lake  .St.  Joliii. 
St.  John  Kiver,  138. 
St.  Lawrence,  4,  5.  7,  10,  39,  136,  236, 

237,  238,  254,  275. 
St.  Maurice  Kiver,  4, 138,  236,  237,  293, 

308. 
St.  Hochs,  40. 

Ste.  Anna  (de  la  Perade)  Piver,  251. 
Ste.  Anne  de  Sagiienay,  177. 
Suckers,  291. 

Siinapce  Lake.     See  Lake  Sunapee. 
Siniapeo  Lake  .saibliiig,  275. 
Sun,  New   Vork,  (pioted   from,  44,  286, 

287. 
Sunderland,  Duke  of,  137. 
Supplies  for  the  woods,  149,  150. 
Sweden,  landlocked  salmon  of,  6,  8,  31. 
Sylva,  146. 


Table  of  contents,  v. 
Tackle  for  tm.inanichc  (ishiiig,  95-97. 
Tackle  for  i)ike  fisliing,  2H6. 
Tadoiis.sac,  302  ;  ouananiche  been  found 

in    Tadoiissac    l>ay,    10;     sea-trout 

caught  there,  124. 
Taylor,  Bayard,  73, 


356 


INDEX 


Tcmpcrnturo  of  water  inlinliitod  liy  Ca- 
nadian iiiiananiclif,  f<M,  X'J,  'JO. 

'J'eiiijnut   Torn,   1H2. 

Tt'tis  lie  Jiiii/li'.  ;i(l8. 

'I'lwkc'sbury,  'i.')."). 

riircf  Kivtr«,  '2;irt. 

I'iinliur  Hlidf  in  In  ]>elile  lUcharge,  159. 

'I'iiiK.i,  Ni'W  York,  nil. 

'I'litnliii,  David,  iiimlcil,  '285. 

I'lilMifrapliicul  IJiclioiinrv  of  Canada, 
4'.i.' 

Tiinmto  University,  ,'!1. 

T<iiiliuH.     Sec  N'ainayoiisli. 

Toiirilli  iMNJi  and  (Janu;  Clul),  240,  20.1. 

Tours.  IStii  Fisliing  itnd  Canoeing 
Tours. 

Trappist,  monastery,  221. 

Traun  Kiver,  trout  lisliing  in,  .30. 

"  Treatyse  of  fyssliyn^e  wylli  an  an- 
gle," quoted  from,  lOli. 

Trembly,  William,  killed  a  bear  in  the 
Periltonca,  18«. 

Trent,  278. 

Trinity  Kiver,  l.^H. 

Triton  tract,  107,  24*!;  its  exceptionally 
heavy  trout,  247-24'J  ;  ouananielie  to 
be  planted  in  its  waters,  249;  its 
caribou,  2i).'5. 

Trout  (J'diitiiKi/i.t,  or  lirook-trout),  an- 
gling "lor,  117,  124,  2.il.  232-234,  230, 
237,  240-2,j0,  2r)9-2(i4,  20«;  deserip- 
tion  of,  244-200  ;--found  in  the  Aleek, 
231 ;  in  the  Aux  Kcorces,  23(),  237 ;  in 
Au  Sable,  199;  in  lietsiamitz,  2(10  ;  in 
IJlanche,  23(1;  in  Cliigolii<:lie,  207;  in 
de  la  Hello  liiviere,  230,  237  ;  in  des 
Aigles,232,  234  ;  in  des  Aulnaies,  230 ; 
in  des  Habitants,  230;  in  Jaccpies 
Cartier,  124,252-250;  in  Grande  De- 
charge,  243:  in  Monimor(!ncy,  124;  in 
Little  Peribonca,  232,  233  ;  in  Otter, 
215;  in  Ouiatchouaniche,  230;  in 
Shiphsaw,  231 ;  in  Lac  a  I'Ours,  230; 
in  Lake  Heau|)ort,  124;  in  Lake  Epip- 
ham,  233  ;  in  Lake  Mistassini,  209;  in 
Lake  Pipinuakin,  2i)() ;  in  Lake  St. 
Charles,  124;  in  Hound  Lake,  230 ; — 
stories  of,  231,  23(!,  237,  244,  240-250, 
202.  See  also  Locdi  Leven  trout,  J/a/'s- 
tonii  trout,  (ind  Namaycush. 

Trout  lishing  in  the  Traun,  30. 


Trout  of  Lake  (Jrllndlsee,  30. 
'I'schoiogama.     Sir  I^ake  Tschotagama. 
Turner,  Charles,  2(i9. 
Twin  tlowcr,  or  Liunwn  borcaliit,  I'M 


U 


rnderhill,  F.  ]\L,  101. 

/  'ikIIiic,  sleanuT,  IH  I. 

I'ngava,  4,  115,  110,  121,  120,  131,  132 
135,  30H. 

Ungava  River,  129,  131, 

Tnion  liiver  lish,  33. 

['ni(mi(l(P,  257. 

United  States  Fish  Commission,  bulle- 
tins (pioteil  from,  2H. 

University  Club,  New  York  City,  89. 

Lhiiversity  of 'I'oronto,  .34. 

Uiileased  (ishing  waters,  list  of,  238, 
239. 

V 

Vache  Caillc  Kapids,  173,  174,  175. 

Van  Dyke,  Dr.  Henry,  99,  290;  quoted 
from',  30,  101-102. ' 

Varieties  of  lish  in  the  Canadian  en- 
vironment of  the  ouananielie,  4. 

Venning,  J.  Harry,  in  Slvaunl's  Quar- 
terbi,  31. 

Verrill,  Professor  Addison  E.,  42. 

Vincent,  .Joseph  E.,  250. 

Virgin  Falls,  209. 

Vocabulary  of  Montagnais  words,  322, 

ct  SI'tJ. 

Voydije  au  pays  de  Ttidoussuc,  47, 

W 

Wabisipi  River,  138. 

Wallace,  .lohn,  00,  72,  78, 

Wallace,  ISIessrs.,  of  Ansonia  and  Chi- 
cago, 208. 

Walton,  Isaac,  54,  02,  280,  289. 

Wananish,  50;  orthography  employed 
by  Messrs.  IJuies,  Le  Moine,  and 
Murray,  49. 

Wananishe,  50,  287,  288;  orthograjihy 
employed  by  Charles  Hallock,  47  ; 
by  J.  (J,  A.  Creighton,  48. 

Wamianish,  50 ;  emploj'ed  by  S.  Web- 
ber, 49. 


INDEX 


8S7 


Waminnislic.  50,  f),') ;    employed  liy  W. 

A.  (irillillis,  lit. 
Waiiiiiiiiiclic,  jV);    trnplDvecl   by   C.  II. 

I'liriilmni,  Is. 
Wiiriur,  A.  D..  KM. 
Wasliccdotai  IJivcr,  138. 
Wnshiiigtoii,  aiit;lLTs  Iruin,  247. 
Wasliingtoii  Comity,  iNlaiiu',  33. 
Wa^siciiisUaDr  ( )iias>i(iiisUa  liivtr,  23.'>. 
Wati'rliiiry,  rnun..  aiij;lcr.s  fniiii,  217. 
\Vat»liec'sii(M(  iir    Wai-.slui-slido    Hivcr, 

13K ;  (iiiananu.'liL'  ruuiiil  in,  112. 
Wol)l.,  Dr.,  7.S. 
\Vfl)l)i;r,  S.,  41). 
Wili-ster's  Diciiimnry,  its  orthoRrnpliy, 

"  winniiiiwli,"  ([m'.stioiieil,  42,  43,  .'J(». 
Welch,  Lacon,  caiiglit,  a  .sixteeii-pouiul 

iKiiiKii/cits/i  (111  a  liy,  2GH. 
WcMianislie,    50;     t'iiipli)yeil    by    Mr. 

Ni.xoii,  40. 
Wiiuligo.     See  Wiiuligd, 
|I7(.  ;t-  the  Tniiit  /I hie,  47. 
Wl.iittisti,  <)7;  an-liiig  (nr,  2H0-2«2;  dc- 

scriptidii,  haliilat,  and    liabils   of,  in 

norllitTii  Canada,  2M)-282;— round  in 

Lake  ripmiiaUin,  'ilMi;  in  Lake  JNIis- 

ta9.sini,  201) ;  in  otlicr  Northern  waters, 

208,21)1;  in  river  ISetsiainitz,  20(');  in 

river  Hamilton,  214. 
Whitmore,  V.  A.  W.,  nuoted,  34. 
Wliitniorc,  Kev.  II.  H.  W.,  his  efforts  to 

introduce   ouananiche    into    English 

waters,  34. 
Winaniche,  50  ;  employed  by  J.  (i.  A. 

Creighton,  48. 
Winains,  1.5,  5o ;    employed  by  James 

Mackenzie,  48. 


Wiudigo,  or    windcgo,  Imlian  belief  in, 

304,  307,  308,  3011;  slaugiiter  ol'tliose 

supposed  to  have  become  such,  304, 

307,  308. 
Windigo  Kiver,  308,  301t. 
W'ininisii,    .OO;    employed    liy     \V.    I». 

(ierard,  44;  by  (ieorge  K.  Mosle,  48. 
Wininidsh,  .OO,  52;    employed    by    Kit 

Clarke,  4(1;    by  Charles  llallock,  47. 
Wiiniini-ich.  .'iO;    employed   iiy    C.    I\I. 

1 'aimer,  47. 
Winniuisli,  5(i,  5(1;    employed   liy    Dr. 

Hrown  (ioode  and  I'rolessor  It.  Uain- 

say  Wright,  43;  found  in  the  Century 

and  in  Webster's  dictionaries,  42.  43  ; 

its  orthogra|)liy  (jiiestioiu'd,  42, 43, 60, 

52. 
Winnoniche,   .50;    employed  by  .1.  IM. 

Le  Moine  and  William  C.  Harris,  47. 
Winnonish,  47,  .50.  111. 
Winnouiche,  50;    emjiloyed  in  Lovell's 

dazdteer  of  JifitUi  North  Amvikd, 

48. 
Winsor,  Justin,  122. 
Wood-sorrel,  11)1). 

Wright,  Professor  U.  Uamsay,  F.U.S.C., 
13,  14,  34,  43. 


Yale  University,  42. 

Yarrell's    Hritish    J-'ishes,  (juoted  from, 

289. 
Yellowstone  National  Park,  120. 


Zeus/aber,  272. 


THE   END 


SOME  OLJT-DOOU  JJOOKS 


FLY-HODS  AND  FLY-TACKLE.  Siijifxcstloiis  as  to  their 
Maiiufiictiirc  iiud  Use.  IJy  Hkniiy  P.  Weli,8.  Illustrated, 
yinall  4t(),  Cl(Jtii,  Oruaniental,  $2  50. 

THE  AMERICAN  SALMON  -  FISHERMAN.  Ry  IIK^'UY 
P.  Wkllh.  Illustrutcd.  Small  4to,  Clotli,  Oriianu'iital, 
ifl  00. 

CITY  ROYS  IN  THE  WOODS  ;  or,  A  Trapping  Venture 
in  [Maine.  Ry  Hicnky  P.  Wells.  Illustrated.  Square 
8vo,  Clotl),  Ornamental,  $3  50. 

ON  SNOW-SHOES  TO  THE  RARREN  GROUNDS. 
Twenty-eight  Hundred  Miles  after  ISIusk-Oxeu  and  Wood- 
Bison.  Ry  Caspau  Whitney.  Profusely  Illuatrated.  8vo, 
Cloth,  Ornamental,  Uncut  Edges  and  Gilt  Top,  $3  50. 

A  SPORTING  PILGRIMAGE.  Riding  to  Hounds,  Golf, 
Rowing,  Footbidl,  Club  and  University  Athletics.  Studies 
in  English  Sport,  Past  and  Present.  By  Caspau  Wiiit- 
KEY.  Copiously  Illustrated.  8vo,  Cloth,  Ornamental, 
$3  oO. 

PONY'  TRACKS.  Written  and  Illustrnted  l)y  Fuedekic 
Remington.     8vo,  Cloth,  Ornamental,  $3  00. 

CA:MP  LIFE  IN  THE  WOODS,  and  the  Tricks  of  Trap- 
ping and  Trap-Making.  By  W.  Hamilton  Gibson.  Il- 
lustrated by  the  Author.     Square  16mo,  Cloth,  $1  00. 


ruBLisuKn  BY  HARPER   &   BROTHERS,  Nkw  York 

The  above  works  are  for  sale  by  all  booksellers,  or  will  be  sent 
by  the  publishers,  postage  prepaid,  on  receipt  of  the  price. 


